School Site Council

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

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

A school that operates a categorical program funded through the consolidated application (ConApp) is required to establish a schoolsite council (SSC) if such program requires a School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) (California Education Code [EC] Section 65000[b]).

The SSC is required to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment, including an analysis of verifiable state and local data, provide recommendations related to the school’s Title I program, and participate in the development and approval of the school’s SPSA. The SPSA is a strategic plan that outlines specific and measurable goals at the school site with the intention of increasing student achievement. The SPSA should align with the local educational agency’s (LEA’s) Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) process as they both help support continuous cycles of action, reflection, and improvement.

English Language Advisory Council (ELAC)

A school-level committee comprised of parents, staff, and community members designated to advise school officials on English learner programs and services.

Requirement

Each California public school with 21 or more English learners must form an English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC).

Responsibilities

The ELAC shall be responsible for the following tasks:

  • Advising the principal and staff in the development of a site plan for English learners and submitting the plan to the School Site Council for consideration of inclusion in the School Plan for Student Achievement.

  • Assisting in the development of the schoolwide needs assessment.

  • Ways to make parents aware of the importance of regular school attendance.

  • Each ELAC shall have the opportunity to elect at least one member to the District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC). Districts with 31 or more ELACs may use a system of proportional or regional representation.

Composition Requirements

Parents or guardians of English learners shall constitute at least the same percentage of the ELAC membership as their children represent of the student body.