By Laws
Adopted January 10, 1995
Amended October 4, 2005
I. As a council we will
- Help students learn to be responsible and accountable for their own education, behavior, and health.
- Encourage community service for students and a sense of respect and responsibility for each other and for the environment.
- Provide a forum for discussion and problem-solving in an atmosphere of mutual respect.
- Celebrate diversity of cultures, learning styles, lifestyles, and abilities.
- Stress
continued improvement in academic preparation while supporting staff
and students in exploring creative learning opportunities.
II. Membership
A. Composistion
The WMS School-Based Management Council shall consist of eleven
regular voting members, five parent representatives, four WMS
certificated staff members, one WMS classified staff member, and a WMS
administrator.
The Council may add non-voting members representing the community or students.
B. Selection
The council members shall be selected as follows:
- Parents
All persons who are parents of WMS students for the respective school
year shall be eligible to serve. The principal shall solicit parent
participants when and how he or she deeps appropriate. The Council
shall select parent representatives after considering geographic
location, the grade level of the parent’s child or children, and other
criteria as determined by the Council. The Council may select more than
5 parents to serve on the Council. However, only 5 parents will be
designated as voting members. The remaining parents will serve as
non-voting members. - Certificated and Classified Staff Members
The representatives of certificated and classified staff members shall
be selected by their respective organizations in September pursuant to
procedures established by the membership of those organizations. - Administrator
The administrator shall be the principal or, in his/her absence, the
assistant principal. In the event that neither is available to serve,
the school district may appoint an acting administrator to serve on the
council until the principal or assistant principal is available.
C. Term of Membership
The term of membership shall be September 1 through August 21. All
members shall be selected for two year terms. No parent may serve more
than one term.
D. Replacement of Members
A member shall no longer serve on the council if, as a staff member,
he or she no longer works at WMS or if, as a parent member, that
member’s child no longer attends WMS. Staff members will be replaced in
the same manner by which they were selected. Parent members will be
replaced by the council.
III. Officers and Committees
The officers of the Council shall be the Chair, Vice-Chair, and a
Recorder. The officers shall be elected by the Council. The Council
shall elect officers for the year during the September council meeting.
The Chair shall be a parent member who will facilitate meeting to
ensure the active involvement of all participants and adherence to the
agenda. The Vice-Chair shall be a certificated or classified class
member, who will act as Chair in the Chair’s absence. The Recorder
shall take minutes and be responsible for communications of Council
actions to interested persons. The Council may assign additional
responsibilities to the officers.
Any person may be removed from his or her position as an officer by a majority vote of the Council.
The Council may create permanent or special committees and include
either voting or non-voting members, non-Council members, including
parents, WMS faculty, WMS staff, WMS students, or representatives from
the community.
IV. Meetings
A. Scheduled Meetings
There shall be one regular meeting per month during the September
through June academic year. These meeting dates shall be established in
September. The Council may agree to change meeting dates.
Special meetings may be called either by agreement of both the Chair
and Vice-Chair or the Council. All summer meetings shall be special
meetings.
B. Agenda
The agenda for a regular meeting shall be set by the Council during the
previous regular meeting. New items may be included with the approval
of both the Chair and Vice-Chair. The agenda shall be delivered to all
members of the Council seven days in advance of any regular meeting and
as far in advance as possible of any special meeting.
The agenda for a special meeting will be determined by those calling
the meeting and will be sent to the members of the Council with the
notice of the special meeting. The agenda will be made available to the
public. If any person seeks to add an item to the agenda for a special
meeting after the agenda is published, it shall not be considered
except by consent of two-thirds of the members present at the meeting.
C. Minutes
Minutes shall be published and distributed with the agenda for the following meeting.
D. Quorum
In order to conduct any official business of
the Council, a quorum of six members, including at least three parents
and three staff members, must be present at a legally convened meeting.
V. Decision Making
The decision making process of the Council is based on the
philosophy that school staff, administrators, and Council members are
committed to improving the educational experience of all Washington
Middle School students. It is the role of the Council members to
communicate with and seek feedback from other school staff and parents
regarding issues discussed at Council meetings. Council discussions and
decisions will reflect this broader view.
Council decisions require a two-thirds majority vote of the Council.
Council decisions, which significantly change major school activities
including amendments to these by-laws, must be approved by two-thirds
majority of certified and classified employees at Washington Middle
School within one month after the publication of the Council minutes. A
change will be considered significant or a school activity considered
major if five or more staff members request such a designation.
If a decision is voted on by the certified and classified employees
and fails to gain the necessary two-thirds vote, any or all members of
the Council will have the opportunity to address those employees
directly at a regular or special meeting of those employees and request
a revote within two months of the initial vote.
VI. Decision Areas
The Council may take those decisions authorized by the Olympia School District.
VII. Annual Workplan
By the end of the October meeting the Council shall adopt a work
plan for that year, which may be amended. The work plan shall delineate
which of its decision areas it intends to exercise during that year.
VII. Amendments
The Council may amend these bylaws by a two-thirds vote of the entire Council membership.