Cesar Chavez Elementary School Governance

Team By-laws
Mission

Philosophy and Purpose

Article 1
Governance Team Members

Article 2
Areas of Shared Decision Making

Article 3
Authority and Responsibility

Article 4
Governance Team Leadership

Article 5
Meeting and Operating Rules

Article 6
Decision Making Process

Article 7
Conflict and Dispute Resolution

Article 8
Ratification of Governance

Article 9
Review and Amendment of the Shared Decision-making Process

Article 10
Non-discrimination
Mission

The Cesar Chavez Elementary School Governance Team exists

to help create an excellent, humane, and effective school within

a multicultural, multilingual, and safe learning environment

designed to provide every student with the opportunity to

graduate from an institution of higher learning, become a

lifelong learner, cultivate strong family values, and make the

world a better place for everyone.

Philosophy and Purpose

Our school’s educational philosophy draws upon the tradition

of non-violence and collective action articulated and

demonstrated by the historic Mexican-American leader Cesar

Chavez who taught, “Once social change begins, it cannot be

reversed. You cannot uneducate the person who has

learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels

pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid
anymore.” The purpose of this democratic governance body is

to promote excellence in instruction, curriculum, and school

environment in partnership with parents, teachers, staff, and

community to ensure that every student achieves their full

potential.

Article 1
Governance Team Members

1.1 There will be 12 elected members of the governance team.

1.2 Certificated shareholders will have 6 members divided as follows:

Primary (K-3) = 2 members
Upper (4-6) = 2 members
Support staff = 1 member
SDEA Association Representative (AR) = 1 member

1.3 Parents, guardians, family, and community members will have 4 members and at least
3 of these members will be parents or guardians of students actively enrolled in Cesar
Chavez Elementary.

1.4 Classified shareholders will have one member.

1.5 Administration will have one member.

1.6 Governance team members will be selected by secret ballot election open to their
constituencies for two-year terms of office.

1.7 To ensure continuity, half of the governance team members will be elected during
September of odd numbered years and half of the team members will be elected during
September of even numbered years.

1.8 An extraordinary special election will be held in the first two weeks May of 2011 to
fill vacancies of the odd year positions AND to fill the positions of the even year
positions. Those elected to the odd number year positions will be replaced by a regular
election in the first two weeks of September of 2011. Those elected to the even number
year positions will be replaced by a regular election in September of 2012.
1.9 A special election will be held in case of any future vacancies.

1.10 Constituencies of shareholders have the right to recall members of the Governance
Committee by them through a petition signed by two-thirds of the constituency to be
followed by a secret ballot vote of the constituency.

1.6.1 To resign from the Governance Team, a member will send a letter of resignation to
a Governance Team Chair. The constituents affected must elect a representative for the
remainder of the term before the next Governance Team meeting after the letter of
resignation was received.

Article 2
Areas of Shared Decision making

The Governance Team shall, within the provisions of district policy,

collective bargaining agreements and state law, have the power and
authority over:

2.2 Staffing

2.2.1 The Governance Team will create and coordinate

interview panels as necessary. Additional interested staff members,
whose positions are most relevant to the open position, may also serve
as members of the panel at the discretion of the Governance Team.

2.2.2 At least one parent will be on staff interview panels.

2.3 Budget

2.31 The Governance Team will determine the use of non-allocated

and discretionary funds within the site budget.

2.4 Organization of Curriculum and Instruction

2.5 Discipline Policy /Procedure

2.6 Operations of Site

2.3.2 Help to develop site level policies and procedures which

contribute to the smooth operation of the site and high morale.
2.7 Formation of Ad Hoc Committees

2.7.1 Governance Team shall elect Chair people.

2.7.2 Ad Hoc Chairs shall report driectly to the Governance Team.

2.8 Community Involvement

Article 3
Authority and Responsibility

3.1 Governance Team

3.1.1 The Governance Team will plan and evaluate programs and be
mutually accountable for student achievement, instruction, and
student data.

3.1.2 The Governance Team shall have the authority to proposal

modifications to the Governance document that would then be voted
on by each of the stakeholder groups.

3.1.3 The Governance Team shall have the authority to form Ad Hoc
committees (open to all staff and parents) that will address issues and
develop proposals. These proposals will be brought back to the
Governance Team for consideration and decision-making.

Article 4
Governance Team Leadership

4.1 Chair
4.1.1 Set agenda with principal
4.1.2 Facilitate meetings
4.1.3 Serve as liaisons to staff
4.1.4 Maintain the files of Governance Team business
4.1.5 Notify parent members of meetings
4.1.6 Provide assistance to the Team in reaching decisions (by
consensus whenever possible), in team building and in dispute
resolution.
4.2 Principal
4.3.1 Presents governance team decisions to the district office.
4.3.2 Presents district guidelines and mandates to staff, parents and
community.
4.3.4 Sets agenda with Chair.

4.4 Recorder
4.4.1 The recorder will be a voluntary position within the Team.
4.4.2 The recorder will make a draft of the minutes will be made
available to staff, parents and community members one week after the
meeting.

Article 5
Meeting and Operating Rules

5.1 Time and Place of Meeting

5.1.2 Meetings shall be announced at least a week in advance
and will usually be held in conjunction with the School
Site Council.
5.2 Unexcused Absences
5.2.1 Three unexcused absences will result in automatic
removal from Governance Team. Absences can be
approved in writing by the chair or by a vote of the entire team.
5.2.2 The Chair will notify members after two absences.
5.2.3 The new member is to be voted in before the next
Governance meeting, following a member’s removal.
5.3 Quorum
5.3.1 A quorum is defined as a total of 50% of the members
from each stakeholder group. Lack of a quorum prevents
the team from doing business.
5.4 Agenda
5.4.1 There will be a standing agenda for each meeting
designed by the Chair and the principal.
5.4.2 Agenda items must be submitted by stakeholders two
weeks prior to the Governance meeting.
5.4.3 The standing agenda will be pasted a week prior to the
Governance meeting.
 5.4.4 Proposals must be delivered to Governance Team
members three days prior to each Governance meeting.
5.5 Rules of Order
5.5.1 Robert's Rules of Order will be modified by the
Governance Team and used to run the monthly meetings.
5.6 Emergency Decisions and Meetings
5.6.1 Emergency decisions shall be made by the entire
Governance Team at a Special Meeting with one week's
notice given to Team members. A quorum is necessary
to conduct business.
5.6.2 The principal shall provisionally make any emergency
decisions which must be decided within a week's span. All
such decisions will be approved or disapproved and reversed at
the next regular meeting of the Governance Team.

Article 6
Decision Making Process
6.1 It is expected that the Governance Team shall be operated by consensus, where lack
of agreement is viewed as a signal that the best option has not yet been developed and put
forward. Consensus, however, does not mean unanimity, nor should all decisions require
endless discussion. Consensus means that all parties can agree with the decision.
Whether discussion on a given issue continues should depend on a)the importance of the
issue relative to others on the agenda, given available time, b) whether those with
differing views feel satisfied that others have understood their views, whether or not they
have reached agreement, and c) how strongly people feel about an issue. After thorough
discussion and serious efforts to understand the reasoning behind opposing views, the
Governance Team will initiate decision-making process described in the document. A
quorum consisting of 50% of EACH stakeholder group shall be required to conduct
business.
6.2 The Governance Team will:
6.2.1 Listen and gather input from stakeholders
6.2.2 Gather proposals from stake holders
6.2.3 Prioritize issues
6.2.4 Direct concerns to Ad Hoc committees.
6.2.5 Identify issues that are the domain of the administrator.
6.2.6 Make decisions that enhance positive student outcomes.
6.3 Voting
A voice vote, secret ballot, or rising of hands will be used in voting. The Chair will
decide which is most appropriate, on a case-by-case basis. Visitors may present
comments regarding a specific agenda item following the discussion and prior to the vote.
Such comments should usually not to exceed three (3) minutes without prior
arrangement.

Step one ~ Consensus: Consensus means a proposal has been accepted.

Step two ~ Two-thirds majority: If there is no consensus, a discussion will be held. A
second vote will be taken and two-thirds majorities will mean the proposal is approved. If
a consensus or a two thirds majority vote cannot be reached by the Governance Team,
then the issue will be tabled and redirected to an Ad Hoc committee for further
investigation into possible solutions. An exception will be made if a deadline is
involved, the principal and the Chairs will make a decision. (see Article 5.6)

Step three ~ Public Assembly: If the principal dissents from a 2/3 decision of the
Governance Team, the issue will be decided by a majority vote after full debate before a
Public Assembly of the entire Cesar Chavez Elementary school community including
staff, teachers, parents, and guardians. The principal and chairperson of the Governance
Team will co-chair the Public Assembly. These co-chairpersons of the Public Assembly
are BOTH equally responsible for organizing and conducting an inclusive debate and
democratic vote on the issue while maintaining a dignified and respectful atmosphere.

Step four ~ School Board: Consistent with state law, final responsibility for
administration of district schools including Cesar Chavez Elementary lies with the Board
of Education.

Article 7
Conflict and Dispute Resolution

7.1 Responsibility of the chair

7.1.1 The chair is responsible for resolving conflicts within the
Governance Team

7.1.2 Methods to resolve conflicts may include, but not be limited to:
a. Calling a halt to a discussion
b. Calling a five minute break
c. Caucusing with individuals/groups
d. Direct unresolved issues to Ad Hoc committees for possible
solutions.

7.2 Any constituency group or individual stakeholder may raise an issue

regarding the interpretation / application of this document or its procedures
by submitting the dispute in writing to the governance team.

A. A primary responsibility of the governance teams is to resolve

such issues, using its decision-making processes.

B. Failing a resolution by the governance team the constituency

group of the individual stake holder raising the issues may petition for
 redress from a Public Assembly. Two-thirds of one constituency
group (parents, credentialed, staff) must sign the petition to convene a
Public Assembly. Decisions by the Public Assembly are final.

Article 8
Ratification of Governance
The Governance document must be publically submitted to each
constituency group (certificated, including site administrators and
certificated support staff; classified employees; and parents / community
members) for a secret ballot ratification vote. Ratification requires a two-
thirds majority of those voting within each constituent group.

Article 9
Review and Amendment of the Shared Decision-making Process

9.1 Annual Evaluation

9.1.1 The Governance Team will review the document each
May and make revisions. If necessary, the revision
process may be sent to an Ad Hoc committee.
9.1.1 A formal evaluation will be completed during every years
in the month of May. Recommendations for improvements may
be made for the following year.
9.1.2 A survey will be developed by a task force, appointed by
the Governance Team.
9.1.3 The Governance team will distribute the survey annually
in May to all constituency groups to elicit feedback as to the
effectiveness of the governance process.
9.1.4 The feedback will be reviewed by the Governance Team
and published for further response or action.
9.1.5 The Governance Team has the authority to appoint a task
force to rewrite the shared decision-making document.
9.2 Review and Amendment of Governance Document
9.2.1 Amendment resulting from the annual review shall be
ratified by a two-thirds majority of each stakeholder group.
9.3 Disputes over interpretation/ application of the Governance Document
9.3.1 Any constituency group or individual stake holder may
raise an issue regarding the interpretation/ application of the
document or procedures by submitting the dispute in writing to
the Governance Team.
 9.3.2 Failing a resolution by the Governance Team, the
constituency group of the individual stake holder raising the
issues may petition for redress from a Public Assembly. Two-
thirds of one constituency group (parents, credentialed, staff)
must sign the petition to convene a Public Assembly. Decisions
by the Public Assembly are final.

Article 10
Non-discrimination
Cesar Chavez Elementary School Site Governance Team will actively
oppose discrimination against any person or group based upon race, creed,
religion, gender, ethnicity, national origin, age, marital status, sexual
orientation, or disability.