School Council
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About School Councils in Massachusetts
What is a School Council? Each public school in Massachusetts has a school council. The councils were created by the Education Reform Act of 1993 to provide an opportunity for parents, teachers, and community partners to share ideas and influence decisions that shape and strengthen teaching and learning in their local schools. The Role of School Councils The primary role of each school council is to gather information related to the quality of teaching and learning at its school, to formulate specific ideas that can improve the teaching and the learning, and to presents these ideas to the school principal and the school committee. In this role, the council can be viewed as a conduit through which parents, teachers, and community participants can formally influence decisions affecting their school. The members of the council have the responsibility of becoming familiar with both, the budgetary constraints, and the established goals of the district. They need to work in cooperation with the school committee and the school administration. Massachusetts Department of Education has published a handbook that explains in detail the role and responsibilities of the councils. The law outlines four major areas of responsibility for councils. School councils are to assist principals in:
MGL c. 71, sec. 59C Membership Requirements Councils are composed of three groups of people: (1) parents or guardians of students attending the school; (2) teachers; and (3) other persons drawn from such groups or entities as municipal government, business and labor organizations, institutions of higher education, human service agencies or other interested groups, including those from school-age child care programs. (High school councils also include student representatives.) The size and composition of each council is determined by the principal, but the law requires that the number of parents serving on a council be equal to the number of teachers (including the principal), and that the number of non-school members not exceed 50% of the entire council membership. Parent members are selected by the parents of students attending the school in elections held by the recognized parent-teacher organization (PTO). Teacher members are selected by the teachers in the school. Non-school members are recruited by the principal. Council members serve three year terms, although parents may end up with shorter terms if their children leave the school before the three years are up. The terms are staggered, so a few new members join the council each year.
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About the Ottoson School Council
How to join If you would like to join the Ottoson School Council, please contact GO PTO (the Ottoson and Gibbs Parent Teacher Organization) stating your intention of becoming a candidate. You should also include a short political statement indicating why you are interested and what your credentials are. Such statements can then be used to prepare a ballot letter. If you are a parent/guardian, please consider joining at least three years before your last child leaves Ottoson, so you can serve a full three-year term. Elections are held at the beginning of each school year. Meetings are open to the public All School Council meetings are open to the public and will be announced once times and dates are set. Please consult the school announcements and the school calendar. Current Activities and Prior Accomplishments The primary role of the Council is to formulate school improvement ideas and to submit them to the principal and the school committee. The Council undertakes various specific actions that directly affect teaching, learning, and communications at Ottoson.
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