The School Site Council (SSC) is a group of teachers, parents, classified employees, and students (at the high school level) that work  with the principal to develop, review and evaluate school improvement programs and school budgets. The members of the site council are elected by their peers.

The School Site council makes decisions on the school budget and the academic or school plan. In addition to academic planning, the school site council is also responsible for making decisions about parent engagement, safety and discipline.

Over the course of a year, the members of the council consider the goals of the school and/or district and then work with the principal to evaluate the school’s progress toward those goals. In this evaluation, the council will consider school test scores, attendance and discipline records, parent surveys and input from students.

After looking at the big picture of the school’s progress, the council and the principal create a plan for improvement. This plan might involve a new academic program, staff member or parent outreach strategy. For example, one council might use funds to develop a new math program, while another might decide to hire a reading specialist or a parent liaison to get more parents involved would be the best use of its money. Because school budgets are limited and many funds can only be spent in certain ways, there are always tough decisions to make.

School site council members don’t just represent their own interests. They have an obligation to make decisions that will best serve the whole school community. Our school site council is specifically charged with finding ways to close gaps in achievement between groups of students, while meeting the needs of all of our students