Orlando
Gifted Academy
School Advisory Council Bylaws
These bylaws
were ratified by the Orlando Gifted Academy School Advisory Council on August
23, 2018.
Article I: Name of Organization
The name of the organization shall be the Orlando Gifted Academy School Advisory Council,
hereinafter referred to as the “SAC.”
Article II: Purpose
The purpose of the SAC is to assist in the preparation, implementation and evaluation of the school improvement plan required pursuant to Florida law. It shall perform such functions as are prescribed by regulations of the school board; however, it shall not have any of the powers and duties reserved by law to the school board.
Article III: Duties
Each advisory council shall perform functions prescribed by regulations of the district school board; however, no advisory council shall have any of the powers and duties now reserved by law to the district school board. The SAC shall:
1. Advise in developing the school’s vision;
2. Use state and district goals as a guide for assessing the school’s needs;
3. Determine and prioritize the goals of the school based on appropriate needs assessments and other data;
4. Develop measurable objectives and strategies for addressing the goals that have been prioritized;
5. Assist in preparing, monitoring and evaluating of the school improvement plan;
6. Identify the appropriate use of school improvement dollars for implementing the approved the school improvement plan;
7. Operate in compliance with Florida law;
8. Assist in developing the school’s annual budget.
Article IV: Representation and Elections of SAC Members
Representation:
1. SAC shall be composed of the school
principal and an appropriately balanced number of teachers, education support
employees, parents and other business and community citizens who are
representative of the ethnic, racial and economic community served by the
school.
2. There shall be members elected to the
council from each of the following constituent groups. A majority (51%) of the
members of this school advisory council must be persons who are not employees
of the school district.
a. Teachers shall be elected
by teachers.
b. Education support
employees shall be elected by education support employees.
c. Parents shall be elected
by parents.
d. Business and community
leaders shall be appointed by the principal.
Elections:
Election of members shall take place after the school year
begins in August and prior to the September SAC meeting. SAC members
representing teachers, education support employees and parents shall be elected
by their respective peer groups.
Election of Members:
1. Information about SAC and identified
vacancies are sent to all parents, school-based employees, and Partners in
Education.
2. Candidates notify the principal and SAC
Chairperson(s) of their interest in serving on SAC and complete a brief
information statement.
3. Statements are compiled and sent to
respective groups with ballots. Ballots for parent members shall be distributed
one ballot per family.
4. Ballots are returned to the school office or
other designated location.
5. The SAC Chairperson(s), principal, and other
SAC members shall open and count ballots at an advertised place and time.
Article V: Voting
Procedures
1. A quorum shall be 51% of the total SAC
membership. Votes may only be taken if a quorum is present.
2. Decisions shall be made by consensus
whenever possible. In the event a vote is taken, passage will require a simple
majority (51%) of quorum.
3. There shall be no voting by proxy.
4. There shall be no secret ballots.
5. All voting shall take place at an open
meeting
Article
VI: Tenure
1. Elected SAC members shall assume
their duties upon election.
2. Appointed SAC members shall
serve for a period of one year or until the next election, whichever comes
first.
3. There shall be no limit on the
number of terms an elected member may serve. SAC members may serve until they
choose to resign, their children no longer attend Orlando Gifted Academy, or
they are removed due to absences.
4. SAC membership is limited to one
member per family.
5. Absences may be excused by
notifying the principal or the SAC chairperson prior to any properly noticed
meeting.
6. Members who have two consecutive
unexcused absences, or any three unexcused absences from regularly scheduled
meetings, will be removed from the council with a majority vote from the quorum
and replaced according to the election procedures stated in these bylaws.
7. Parent
members must have a child enrolled at Orlando Gifted Academy. If the child
leaves Orlando Gifted Academy during the parent’s term of office, then the
parent shall vacate his or her seat and a vacancy shall exist.
8. Vacancies of
members shall be filled from those who unsuccessfully ran for office, meet the
composition requirements of the vacancy, and had the highest number of votes.
If there are no candidates who meet these criteria, the SAC shall fill the
vacancy by simple majority vote.
Article
VII: Meetings
1. Meetings
shall be held beginning in August. Dates and meeting times shall be determined
at the August meeting. All meetings will be scheduled when parents, students,
teachers, business and community members can attend.
2. Emergency
meetings shall only be called if jointly agreed upon by the SAC chairperson and
the principal, and shall abide by all the guidelines of a regular meeting.
3. Meetings of
the SAC or its subcommittees shall be held in accordance with section 286.011
of the Florida Statutes.
4. Meetings
shall be open to the public, accessible to the handicapped, and scheduled so
that all members can attend.
a. A specific time will be
set aside on the agenda for input by non-members.
b.
Time limits will be set on any presentation to the SAC.
5. Meetings
shall be noticed as follows:
a.
Requiring at least three days’ advance notice in writing to all members of the
SAC of any matter that is scheduled to come before the council for a vote.
b.
The notice shall contain the time and place of the meeting and an agenda. The
agenda will include items scheduled to come before the SAC for a vote. The
agenda will be sent no less than three days prior to the scheduled SAC meeting.
c.
The notice and agenda shall be prominently displayed in the area of the school
set aside for that purpose.
d.
Emergency and cancellation of meetings shall be afforded the most appropriate
and effective notice under the circumstances and shall have at least 24 hours
reasonable notice to the public.
Article
VIII: Election and Duties of SAC Officers; Duties of the Principal
1. The SAC shall
have three officers: the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson and the Secretary.
They shall be elected at the September meeting by simple majority vote. At
least one of the officers shall be a non-school employee.
2. The duties of
the Chairperson shall include:
a.
Preside at meetings
b.
Develop last-minute or emergency agenda items with the principal
c.
Appoint subcommittee chairs
d.
Notify all members of upcoming meeting dates
e.
Inform SAC of relevant training
f.
Assist principal with presentation of school improvement plan to the community
3. The duties of
Vice-Chairperson shall include:
a.
Assumes the duties of the Chair if the Chair is absent or vacates the position
b.
Assist principal with annual surveys
4. The duties of
Secretary shall include:
a.
Record minutes of meetings
b.
Keep annual attendance records
c.
Track expenditures from school improvement funds and maintain SAC financial
records
d.
SAC correspondence
e.
Send minutes to members with the next month’s agenda
f.
Provide public notice of all SAC meetings
5. If a vacancy
occurs in the office of Vice-Chair or Secretary, the SAC shall fill the vacancy
by simple majority vote.
6. An officer
may be removed from office by a two-thirds majority vote of the full SAC.
Article
IX: Parliamentary Procedures
The SAC Chairperson shall refer to
"Robert's Rules of Order Revised" when conducting SAC meetings.
Article
X: Amendments
1. The bylaws
shall be reviewed at the April and September meetings.
2. Amendment
recommendations shall be advertised for 30 calendar days.
3. Approval of
bylaw amendments shall require a two-thirds vote of quorum.