SBDM BY-LAWS
Stonewall Traditional Elementary School

I.  Mission Statement

    The Stonewall SBDM Council will support and will strive to make decisions consistent with the following mission statement:
    The mission of Stonewall Traditional Elementary School is to provide an enriched academic program in which a diverse population of students is enabled to strive for excellence beyond basic skill mastery. This will be accomplished through a cooperative effort of parents, teachers, and students in a disciplined atmosphere.

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II.  Membership

    The membership of the Stonewall SBDM Council shall be: three teachers, two parents, and the principal.
    If a teacher does not complete a term for any reason, a special election shall be set up and conducted by the principal to fill the vacancy.
    If a parent does not complete a term for any reason, a special election shall be set up and conducted by the PTA to fill the vacancy.

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III.  Selection procedures

1. Teacher Representatives

1. During May of each school year, on a date chosen by the principal, the faculty shall elect its representatives to serve on the Council for the following school year.
2. Written notice of the meeting shall be given by the principal to all teachers assigned to the school at least ten school days in advance of the meeting.
3. Teachers may nominate themselves or another teacher.
4. Nominations shall be made in writing to the principal no later than five school days before the election.
5. The principal shall prepare a ballot containing the names of all qualified teachers nominated.
6. The principal shall chair the meeting at which the vote is taken.
7. Voting shall be by secret ballot.
8. Election shall be by majority vote of all teachers assigned to the school. Voting shall continue until three teachers are elected.
9. The principal and one teacher chosen by the faculty shall count the ballots and announce the results at the conclusion of the meeting.

2. Absentee Ballots for Teachers Voting for Representatives

    Teachers shall be given the opportunity to request an absentee ballot for the election of teacher Council members if absent on the day of elections for reasons permitted by school board policy.

1. The teacher shall contact the principal or designee by phone and request to vote absentee.
2. The principal or designee shall read the names on the ballot to the teacher.
3. The teacher shall indicate the rank order in which their votes are to be cast.
4. The teacher shall appoint through the principal/designee which teacher shall be responsible for casting their votes in each balloting.
5. Those ballots shall be returned to the absent teacher upon returning to school.

    C. Parent Representatives

    Each school year, notice of the need for the election of parent Council members shall be provided by the principal to the president of the PTA.

1. The date, time, and location of the election shall be set by the president of the PTA.
2. The president of the PTA shall give written notice to all parents of the school the date, time, and location of the vote in a manner that gives sufficient time for parents to participate.
3. Election of parent members to the Council shall be by plurality of the voting qualified parents.
4. Parents may nominate themselves or another parent. Nominations shall be in writing and submitted to the president of the PTA five school days prior to the date scheduled for the election.
5. The president shall prepare a ballot containing the names of all qualified parents nominated.
6. In the case of a tie between three or more candidates, another election shall be organized by the president of the PTA following the procedures outlined in this section. The only candidates on the ballot will be those parents who received the same number of votes in the prior election.
7. The president and one PTA member chosen by the PTA Executive Board shall count the ballots and announce the results at the conclusion of the meeting.
8. Parent Council members shall be a parent or legal guardian of a student currently enrolled at Stonewall Traditional Elementary School, or of an incoming student who will be so enrolled the next school year, and shall not be an employee of the Fayette County Public Schools or the relative of a Fayette County Public Schools employee. "Relative" shall mean parent, step-parent, legal guardian, sibling, spouse, son, daughter, aunt, uncle, son-in-law, or daughter-in-law.

4. Minority Representation

    If the enrollment at Stonewall Traditional Elementary School consists of at least 8% minority students (as defined in KRS Section 160.345 (1)(a) on the October 1^st preceding the election of teacher and parent representatives to the Council under this Section III, and if there is not at least one minority representative among the teachers or parents elected to the Council in such an election, then the principal shall take such actions as are required under KRS Section 160.345 (2)(b)2 to have a special election for minority representation on the Council.

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IV.  Tenure

    Terms of parent and teacher members shall be for one year and shall begin on July 1 and end on June 30 of the following year.
    Teacher and parent members are eligible for reelection. Principals serve as long as they hold their position.

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V.  Officers

    Officers of the Council shall include the chair, custodian of records, vice-chair, and secretary. The principal shall be the chair of the Council and shall also be the official custodian of records, but may delegate this responsibility to another Council member. A vice-chair shall be elected by the Council from among its members at its first meeting each year. A secretary shall also be selected by the council at its first meeting each year, but may or may not be a member of the Council.

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1. The Chair shall preside at all meetings. The chair shall prepare the agenda for each meeting, see that the agenda is mailed out at least three days before each meeting, and notify council members of any changes to the agenda.
2. The Custodian of Records shall answer all requests to see the Council’s records as required by Kentucky’s open records law. The custodian shall maintain a "Council file" containing copies of all minutes, Council plans and progress reports, and Council related information from the district or state, a current copy of the by-laws, and a listing of the Council membership with phone numbers and addresses.
3. The Vice-Chair shall exercise all of the chair’s duties in the absence of the chair and will assist the chair as needed.
4. The Secretary shall be responsible for:

1. Keeping full and accurate minutes of the proceedings and transactions of all Council meetings.
2. Providing copies of the minutes to the Council within three days preceding the next meeting.
3. Preparing any official correspondence that may be requested.
4. Annually providing a copy of the by-laws to all Council members by the third meeting of the year.

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    In order to insure the representational input of the staff, the Council shall utilize the same committees to reflect their interest and their knowledge of the school’s needs.

    The Council shall determine the membership of each committee. Every committee will have at least one representative from these areas:

1. Primary (K-3)
2. Intermediate (4 and 5)
3. Special Areas (music, art, physical education, primary science, library, counseling, intermediate resource)
4. Special Education (including speech)
5. Parents selected by the principal
6. One or more classified representatives to be added when appropriate

    The committee shall be established for a term of one year. If a representative from an area resigns from a teaching position, a member from another committee with more than one member in an area shall be moved to fill the vacancy. If a parent cannot fulfill the duties on the designated committee, that parent may designate another parent to be the representative on the committee with the approval of the principal. However, a parent may not make more than one designation per year. The parent resignation from the committee and the new parent designation must be done in writing.

    Each committee shall elect by majority vote a chair who will serve for one year. The committee shall decide at each meeting who will be recorder, facilitator, timekeeper, and reporter to the faculty. A person shall volunteer, or be elected, to produce to each committee member, staff member, SBDM Council member, and the PTA SBDM Council liaison a copy of the minutes following the meeting.

    The committees identify school needs and possible solutions. The committee will try to come to a consensus, if not, a majority vote. A quorum consisting of two-thirds of the committee members must be present to reach a consensus or a majority vote. The committees make recommendations to the Council. The Council will place on its agenda any issue that comes from the committee on which a consensus has been reached or a majority vote. The Council may return issues for further review.

    The committee meetings shall be open to the public. Notification of the meeting dates and times shall be posted at least a week prior to the meeting.

    The committee shall establish by consensus or a majority vote a sub-committee to meet certain needs, approach certain issues, or identify possible solutions to school needs.

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    The Council meetings will be held on the third Tuesday of each month at 6:00 P.M. in the Stonewall Traditional Elementary School library, or at such other time and place as may be designated by the Council.

    Special meetings of the Council may be called by consensus or a majority vote of the Council or the chair of the Council.

    The meeting dates shall be published in the PTA newsletter, on the bulletin board, school, Fayette County, and PTA calendars. Twenty-four hours notice of special meetings shall be given to parents and teachers.

    A closed session is a portion of a regular meeting or a special meeting. The Open Meeting Law states that eleven topics are permitted at a closed meeting. Only two may apply to the school Council:

1. Discussion of lawsuits - proposed cases as well as those already filed in court
2. Decision about a specific person’s rights; the appointment of an individual employee. If the affected person requests a public hearing, the meeting cannot be closed.

    A quorum of the Council consists of two-thirds majority of the total membership (to include at least one parent member), not just the members present. In order for the Council to take action on an issue, an affirmative vote of the quorum is required.

    An agenda will be prepared and posted in advance of the Council meeting. Copies of this agenda will be made available to the public at the meeting. The principal shall be the chair of the Council and shall be responsible for distributing the minutes that record the Council’s actions. The Council must approve the previous minutes. They will be kept on file as a public record and open for inspection. A copy of the approved minutes will be sent to the Director of Elementary Education by the principal.

    The Council shall report to the faculty at least one time monthly.

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IX.   Decision Making Method

    The Council emphasizes consensus decision making. Issues may be raised and all possible solutions discussed before consensus is reached. Then, a motion could be made, seconded, and a vote taken. A two-thirds majority vote of the Council must be obtained in order for an issue to pass.

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    New Council members are required to take six hours of training. Other Council members are required to take three hours of training.

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1. The Council shall adopt by-laws by a two-thirds majority vote.
2. All proposed amendments to the Council by-laws shall be presented in writing to all members of the council at least one week before consideration by the Council. Amendments to the by-laws shall be by two-thirds majority vote.
3. The Council shall adopt policies by a two-thirds majority vote to be implemented by the principal in the following areas:

1. Determination of Curriculum, including needs assessment and curriculum development;
2. Assignment of all instructional and non-instructional staff time;
3. Assignment of students to classes and programs within the school;
4. Determination of the schedule of the school day and week, subject to the beginning and ending times of the school day and calendar year as established by the local board;
5. Determination of use of school space during the school day;
6. Planning and resolution of issues regarding instructional practices;
7. Selection and implementation of discipline and classroom management techniques, including responsibilities of the student, parent, teacher, counselor, and principal;
8. Selection of extra-curricular programs and determination of policies relating to student participation based on academic qualifications and attendance requirements, program evaluation and supervision.
9. Procedures for determining alignment with state standards, technology utilization, and program appraisal. Council policy on this issue must be consistent with district board policy;
10. Parent involvement policy/process that demonstrates the school’s role in establishing an open, parent-friendly environment, increasing parental participation, improving two-way communication between school and home, assuring minority representation, and developing parental outreach programs.
11. Multicultural education policy to be implemented by the principal through the SBDM Council.
12. Other issues necessary to provide an environment to enhance students’ achievement and meet the goals established by KRS 158.645 and 6451. If the Council makes a policy that fits this area but not any of the areas listed in items 1-11 above, that policy must be consistent with district board policy.

4. All policies adopted by the Council shall be forwarded by the principal to the school board’s attorney for review and approval.
5. The Council by-laws, policies and minutes of Council meetings shall be posted in a prominent location in the school building accessible to the general public during normal school hours.
6. Where the Council has not adopted a policy in a given area, the school shall follow the school board’s policy.

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1. The chair will compile the agenda for the monthly meeting.
2. Requests by persons to be placed on the agenda shall be done in writing to the principal one week prior to the meeting. This notice shall have the person’s name and subject of the agenda item. Only the parents, step-parents, guardians, faculty/staff, and students of Stonewall Traditional Elementary School and residents of the attendance area may request an item to be placed on the agenda.
3. The chair may also use suggestions from the suggestion box as agenda items.
4. The agenda will be given to each Council member with a meeting notice three days prior to the meeting.
5. The agenda will be posted on the SBDM bulletin board at the same time it is distribute to Council members.
6. Agenda items can be added on an emergency basis when deemed necessary.
7. In special called meetings, the agenda shall be prepared and distributed as early as possible if the three day notice is not feasible.

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1. Minutes shall be maintained of all SBDM Council meetings.
2. A secretary for taking minutes will be appointed from Council members or an independent person who will regularly attend the meetings and record the actions of the meeting. Written minutes will be taken, but the secretary may also record the meeting to aid in record keeping.
3. Minutes will be typed and distributed to all members three days prior to the next meeting.
4. A copy of the approved minutes will be sent to Central Office; one will be posted on the SBDM bulletin board; one will be kept in the school library for public viewing.
5. The Custodian of Records will be sure that official copies of the minutes are maintained in the library for public inspection.
6. Minutes may only be amended to correct errors to clarify meetings.

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1. Notice of SBDM meetings will be posted on the SBDM bulletin board and listed on the school marquee.
2. Meeting schedules will be publicized in the PTA Blue Book at the beginning of the school year.
3. SBDM council will have staff committees work on problems and ideas and those committees will report back to the SBDM Council.
4. Teacher members of the SBDM Council will report information from Council meetings to other Stonewall Traditional Elementary School teachers and staff.
5. Parent members will report SBDM information to other parents at PTA meetings, possibly using the PTA Newsletter.

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1. Appeals from decisions of the Council may be made by any parent, student, or employee of the school.
2. Prior to being appealed, the issue shall be presented in writing to the Council for reconsideration. Issues for Council consideration shall be delivered to the principal, who shall bring the matter before the Council at its next meeting. If the matter is not satisfactorily resolved with ten school days from the date the issue is presented to the Council, the appeal may be submitted in writing to the Director of Elementary Education.
3. If, within ten school days after receiving the appeal, the Director of Elementary Education has not been able to resolve satisfactorily the concern, a further appeal may be made in writing to the Superintendent.
4. If, within ten school days after receiving the appeal, the Superintendent has not been able to resolve satisfactorily the concern, a further appeal may be made in writing to the board. The board shall act on the appeal within forty school days of the board meeting when the appeal was made. The decision of the board shall be final.
5. Council action may be appealed on the following grounds:

1. Arbitrariness
2. Violation of district policy
3. The action exceeded the authority of the Council
4. The action was unlawful under state or federal law

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1. See Section  VII, number seven for the duties, responsibilities, and composition of the Budget Committee.
2. The Council’s proposed budget shall be within the limits of funds available as provided by the school board. The funds for specific areas may be reallocated, but shall not exceed actual budget appropriations.
3. In order to comply with the state accounting and bidding requirements, all purchases of goods and services shall be made in conformity with board policy 04.32 and its procedures, including the small purchase procedures.

Mission Statement | Membership | Selection Procedures | Tenure | Officers | Duties of Officers | Committees
Council Meetings | Decision Making Method | Training | By-Laws, Policy Development, Amendments, and Review
Agenda Preparation and Distribution | Record Keeping | Communications | Appeals Process | Fiscal Management
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