CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS OF

OUR LADY OF THE LAKE SCHOOL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

ARTICLE I

Name

The name of this body shall be the School Advisory Committee of Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School.

ARTICLE II

Mission/Function of the Committee

The primary mission of the School Advisory Committee (SAC, "the committee") is to support the school administration in carrying out and fulfilling the Mission and Philosophy of Our Lady of the Lake School.

The main role of the committee shall be one of consultation to the Principal during policy development and key decision making associated with the operation of the school.  The committee lends communicative and vocational skills as well as varied perspectives and opinions to assist the Principal.  The Principal shall consult with the committee in matters of importance, and shall follow committee advice unless there is a strong overriding reason to do otherwise.  When advising the Principal, the voice of the committee shall be representative and in the best interests of the school families and parish community.

In identifying work and activities in which the committee will be involved, consideration shall be given to the Principal's goals for the school, input/direction from the Pastor, needs identified via parent feedback, and other general concerns having the potential to affect the future and/or well being of the school.  Examples include, but are not limited to: school policies, facilities, technology, school budget/finances, marketing, fundraising, student tuition, teacher pay scale, enrollment, class size, curriculum, academics and extra curricular / enrichment activities. 

ARTICLE II

Committee Membership

The committee shall consist of 12 members. They are:

                                    The Pastor

                                    The School Principal

                                    Six (6) Parish Members

                                    Two (2) Appointed Representatives

                                    The President of the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)

                                     A Teacher Representative

ARTICLE III

Elections of Members to the Committee

The six Parish Members serving on the School Advisory Committee shall be elected by the Parish.

Section 1.         Eligibility for Office. All registered Catholic members of the parish, eighteen (18) years of age or over, excluding employees of the church or school, are eligible for election to office on the School Advisory Committee.

Section 2.         Eligible Voters. All registered members of the parish, eighteen (18) years of age or over, are eligible as voters. This includes the Non-Catholic members of mixed faith marriages. Parents of students enrolled in the school are also eligible as voters, regardless of their faith or registration status within the Parish.

Section 3.         Election. A general election shall be held within the Parish on an annual basis in the May/June time frame.  At this time, three (3) individuals will be elected as new members to the committee. 

The School Advisory Committee and Parish will jointly solicit nominees among eligible candidates within the parish community.  Candidates will be self-nominated and be asked to submit information regarding their interest in joining the committee, and a brief personal history to assist voters.

Notice of the election date, the candidates' names and information about the candidates shall be made available to the parishioners of Our Lady of the Lake Parish in advance of the election.

The three candidates with the highest number of votes shall be elected. The election of members shall be by secret ballot.

ARTICLE IV

Appointments of Members to the Committee

The two Appointed Representatives and the Teacher Representative shall be appointed by the Principal.

Section 1.         Appointment of Appointed Representative. On an annual basis, one (1) Appointed Representative shall be named by the Principal to serve on the School Advisory Committee. This appointment shall be made after the election of Parish Members to the committee.

Section 2.         Appointment of Teacher Representative. On an annual basis, one (1) OLL Teacher Representative shall be named by the Principal to serve on the School Advisory Committee.

ARTICLE V

Membership Terms, Limitations and Vacancies

Section 1.         Terms. Parish Members and Appointed Representatives shall serve two-year terms on the committee.  Teacher Representatives will serve one-year terms.  Terms start at the beginning of the committee meeting immediately following election/appointment and end by the replacement with new members (typically at the June committee meeting).

Section 2.         Term Limit. No member may serve more than five consecutive years, except the Pastor and the Principal.

Section 3.         Vacancies. In the event that a member of the committee shall fall out of good standing, resign, die or become otherwise unable to act as a member of the committee during his or her term or office, a successor shall be named by the Principal.  Each person so appointed shall serve the remainder of the term of the individual they are replacing.  Voting privileges for such appointees shall be consistent with the vacancy they are filling (i.e. voting or non-voting member).

ARTICLE VI

Committee Officers and Duties

Section 1.         Executive Officer. The Principal of the school shall be the executive officer of the School Advisory Committee. The Principal shall be responsible to keep the committee informed and updated on significant school matters and concerns.  The Principal shall seek the committee's counsel during policy development and key decision making associated with the operation of the school.

Section 2.         Chairperson. The Committee Chairperson will lead the committee in the establishment of goals, objectives, meeting schedules and agendas, and the like.  The Chairperson will preside over all meetings and activities of the School Advisory Committee.  It is expected that the Chairperson and the Principal will work closely to assure that the efforts of the committee are consistent and complimentary with the needs of the school.

The Chairperson shall be nominated and elected by the voting members of the School Advisory Committee at the committee meeting immediately following the election and appointment of new members (typically in June).  Parish Members and Appointed Representatives of the committee having already completed at least one year of service on SAC will be eligible to be Chairperson for a term of one year.

Section 3.         Secretary. The Chairperson shall nominate a Secretary from among the Parish Members and Appointed Representatives of the committee for a term of one year.  The Secretary shall prepare and keep the official minutes of all meetings, record and track the completion of action items and handle committee correspondence as directed by the Chairperson. The School Advisory Committee shall confirm the nomination by vote.

Section 4.         Finance Committee Liaison. The Chairperson shall nominate a Finance Committee Liaison from among the Parish Members and Appointed Representatives of the committee for a term of one year.  The Finance Committee Liaison will attend Monthly Finance Committee meetings and report regularly back to SAC with information corresponding to the School budget, financial performance and any related issues. The School Advisory Committee shall confirm the nomination by vote.

Section 5.         Parish Council Liaison to SAC.  A Parish Council Member is designated by the Parish Council as a liaison to the School Advisory Committee and attends most meetings.

Section 6.         Co-Chairperson. The Chair may designate a Co-Chairperson at any time at the sole discretion of the Chair, to assist or conduct business in the absence/inability of the Chair. Such designation is not subject to confirmation of the School Advisory Committee.

In the event that the Committee Chairperson is unable to carry out his/her duties for an extended period of time, a new Chairperson shall be nominated and elected by the voting members of the School Advisory Committee.

ARTICLE VII

Committee Meetings

Section 1.         Regular Meetings. Regular meetings of the School Advisory Committee meetings shall be held at a frequency not less than once per month during the school year and at least one time during the summer vacation break.           

Section 2.         Attendance. Members are expected to attend all School Advisory Committee meetings. Members are asked to contact the chairperson in case of an absence.  Members will be considered to be in "good standing" through their regular attendance of meetings and participation in committee business (including serving on sub-committees and/or ad-hoc committees formed by the group as needed).

All regular meetings of the committee shall be open to school families, staff, and the OLL Parish community.

Section 3.         Meeting Minutes. Matters of significance (key issues discussed, actions, votes, resolutions, etc.) covered during regular committee meetings shall be documented in summary form and made reasonably available to school families, staff, and the OLL Parish community.

Section 4.         Executive Session. A special executive session of the committee, or a portion thereof, may be jointly called by the Chairperson and the Principal, or by the Pastor.  Executive sessions may be held to review or discuss such things as issues that are considered to be confidential or "sensitive" in nature.

ARTICLE VIII

Voting

Section 1.         Voting. Key committee decisions and resolutions shall require a vote of the committee. Voting shall take place during SAC meetings.  Any committee member may make a motion for a vote.  A simple majority of affirmative votes among those voting committee members casting votes is required for a motion to pass. 

Section 2.         Voting Members. Eight (8) of the twelve (12) committee members shall be considered to be voting members: the Parish Members and Appointed Representatives (excluding the Chairperson), and the PTO President.  Voting members are eligible to vote on motions before the committee.  Voting members must be present at such time a vote is called to cast votes. In the absence of the PTO President, the PTO Vice President may serve as the PTO President designate with the same voting privileges.  The Pastor, the Principal, the Teacher Representative and the SAC Chairperson do not vote. 

Section 3.         Voting Process; Ballots. Voting by the Committee shall be by voice vote, with results to be recorded and included by the Secretary in the Meeting Minutes.  In the case of an election for the Committee Chairperson, a secret ballot may be taken if requested by any committee member.

Section 4.         Tie Votes. In the event of a tie on any votes other than the election of the Committee Chairperson, the SAC Chairperson shall cast the deciding vote. In the event of a tie on the vote for the election of the Committee Chairperson, the Principal shall cast the deciding vote.

ARTICLE IX

Amendments

Amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws of Our Lady of the Lake School Advisory Committee may be proposed by any committee member in good standing.  Proposed amendments must be presented in writing to the committee.  Proposed amendments will be voted upon by the committee at the next regularly scheduled committee meeting following the proposal.  An affirmative vote by a majority of the committee voting members (at least 5 voting members, excluding the SAC Chairperson) is required to pass an amendment. 

Revised 12/29/05