What the school site council does
The School Site Council (SSC) is a group of teachers, parents, classified employees, that works with the administration to develop, review and evaluate school improvement programs and school budgets. The members of the site council are elected by their peers. For example, parents elect the parent representatives and teachers elect teachers.
Site councils generally either make decisions or advise the principal on the school budget and the academic or school improvement plan. In addition to academic planning, many site councils are also responsible for making decisions about parent engagement, safety and discipline.
Over the course of the educational year, the council considers the goals of the school and then works 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. After looking at the big picture of the school’s progress, the council and the principal create a plan for improvement. This plan might involve a new academic program, staff member or parent outreach strategy.