PSD School Accountability Committees help plan and evaluate instructional programs and quality improvement processes at schools.
School Accountability Committees (SAC), which are made up of parents and community members, offer guidance on academic action plans, budget priorities, safety issues and other areas.
While SACs present recommendations to school leaders and administrators, school administrators make the decisions and are ultimately responsible and accountable for those decisions.
SAC responsibilities:
1. Unified Improvement Plan: A SAC's primary responsibility is to provide recommendations for their school’s academic goals and action plans, which are included in the school's Unified Improvement Plan (UIP). Goals and action plans reflect the school’s performance data, community input, and the philosophy of the school. Goals also align with the district's goals recorded in the district UIP.
a. Input into the accreditation plan: The SAC advises the principal, superintendent and/or Board of Education, as required, concerning priority improvement or turnaround plan, when applicable.
2. Budget priorities: The SAC makes recommendations to the principal about spending priorities for budget expenditures of the building. The committee reviews staffing design, discretionary and non-discretionary funds, carryover, and all other funds available to the school. The SAC submits budget recommendations to the District Accountability Committee (DAC) annually via the SAC budget survey.
3. Quarterly SAC discussion topics:
- Whether school leadership, personnel, and infrastructure are advancing or impeding implementation of the public school’s accreditation contract with the Board of Education.
- Safety issues relative to the school environment.
- Community concerns and input regarding SAC duties and responsibilities.
4. Annual report: SACs submits budget input, via the annual SAC Budget Survey, to the DAC, which gives an annual recommendation about budget priorities to the Board of Education.
5. Principal evaluations: SACs provide recommendations on an advisory basis to the DAC and district administration regarding:
- Development plans for school principals
- Principal evaluations (This does not mean SACs evaluate their principals.)
These recommendations are provided via the biennial SAC Engagement Survey.
6. Other duties: SACs may perform other duties in order to fulfill their responsibilities, as determined by the principal and committee co-chair.
SAC duties do not include addressing or advising on:
- Personnel issues, including hiring or evaluating staff members
- Individual student discipline issues
- Any issues dealing with specific students, staff members, or parents
SACS comply with sunshine laws
As a local public body, SACs must conform to Colorado sunshine laws for open meetings. Meetings must be posted on the school calendar at least 24 hours prior to schedule meeting. The posting place must be designated at the first regular meeting of the calendar year, and if possible, the notice should include agenda information. Meeting minutes must be posted on the school website and kept indefinitely.