Hillcrest Elemetnary School
School Community Council Bylaws


Article I: Name

Utah Code Ann., §53A- la- 108 directs that each public school, in consultation with its local school board, shall establish a School Community Council at each school building level.

Accord ingly, the Hillcrest Elementaiy School Commun ity Council (Hillcrest SCC) was created to support school improvemen t and the academic achievement of students through increased community involvement in the school.

These By laws will be pos ted on the SCC page of the school website. Each SCC member will read and agree to abide by the Bylaws at the beginn ing of each schoo l year.

Article II: Purpose

The Hillcrest SCC provides an opportunity for members of the school community to participate in thecollaborative dec ision making process to build an effective school. In accordance with State guidelines, the purpose of the sec is:

  1. To build consistent and effective communicat ion among parents, employees, and administrators.
  2. To allow parents an opportunity to be actively involved with the school in the education of their children.
  3. To support school improvement and student achievement through increased community involvement.

Article III: Responsiblities

The responsibilities of the Hillcrest SCC shall be in accordance with State, Logan City School District, and school guidelines as outlined in these bylaws. The Hillcrest SCC will:

  1. Assist in the development and implementat ion of an on-going, comprehensive School Improvement Plan in accordance with Utah Code Ann ., §53A-la- 108.5.
  2. Meet the requirements for the development and implementat ion of a Staff Deve lopment Plan in accordance with Utah Code Ann., §53A-3-701.
  3. Develop a child safe access routing plan for approach ing or leaving the school (Safe Routes Plan) in accordance with Utah Code Ann., §53A-3-402
  4. Develop a plan for the use of School Trust Lands monies to address specific academic needs in accordance with Utah Code Ann. , §53A-16-101.5 and Utah Administrat ive Code R277-477-1 , et seq.
  5. Partner with school admin istration in creating a safe and constructive internet environment for students.
  6. Provide a forum for community and patron issues to be addressed.
  7. Advise the Hillcrest Elementa1y School and Logan .City School District administration with regard to school-level policies, procedures , and issues or concerns .
  8. Function in other capacities as determined by the administration of Hillcrest Elementary School or Logan City School District.

Article IV: Membership

The Hillcrest SCC shall consist of the following:

  1. Up to five (5) parents or guardians of students who attend Hillcrest Elementary School or who will be or was enrolled at the school at any time during the parent's or guardian's term of office may serve as a parent or guardian member of the council.
  2. Up to two (2) employees of Hillcrest Elementary School. Parents/guardians employed at Hillcrest Elementary School may be elected to represent the school employees, but may not represent the parents/guardians of students attending the school.
  3. The school principal, who serves as an ex-officio member with full voting privileges.
  4. The number of parent/guardian members shall exceed the number of school employees, including the school principal by two (2).

Article V: Elections

Parent or guardian members shall be elected by a majority vote of the parents or guardians of students enrolled in Hillcrest Elementary School.

  1. If a parent/guardian position remains unfilled after the election or is vacated prior to the completion of a term, the other parent/guardian members of the Council may appoint a parent/guardian, who meets the qualifications of this policy , to the position for the remainder of the term. If the number of parents falls below five (5), the parents must appoint a parent/guardian.

Employee members are elected by a majority vote of the school employees.

  1. If a school employee position remains unfilled after the election or is vacated prior to the completion of a term, the other school employee members of the Council shall appoint a school employee to the position for the rema inder of the term.

Votes will be conducted by secret ballot as outlined in Utah 53A-1 a-108. Elections shall:

  1. Begin within the first 30 days of the school year.
  2. Extend for a period of at least three consecutive school days.

Written notice of the elections shall be given at least 7 days prior to the election. Results of the election will be made available to the public upon request.

If there are more candidates than available seats, two alternates will be selected from the remaining candidates in the order of the number of votes received. They will be appointed as voting members of the council if a seat is vacated prior to the next election and the council votes to fill the vacated seat.

Article VI: Terms

The term of office for an elected council member is two (2) years from the date the election was held. Elected council members may serve up to three successive terms.

Article VII: Officers

Officers shall be elected by the SCC at the first meeting each school year following the Hillcrest SCC election. The current Chair will serve through the summer , assist with SCC elections, conduct the September meeting and assist in the transition even if they no longer have a student at Hillcrest. Officers shall consist of the following:

  1. Chair with the following responsibilities:
    1. Call and conduct council meetings or appoint someone else to conduct.
    2. Set meeting agendas with the school principal.
    3. Act as council signatory.
  2. Vice-Chair who assists the chair and assumes the duties of the chair in his/her absence.
  3. Secretary with the following responsibilities:
    1. Record and keep the roll and minutes of official meetings.
    2. Keep custody of council records.
    3. Conduct counci l correspondence.
  4. Principal with the following responsibilities:
    1. sec elections each fall.
    2. Preparation, posting , and dissemination of all necessary information , summaries, and notices as required by applicable Utah law, rules, and regulations.
    3. Notify Logan City School District of changes in council membership.
  5. Officers serve for a one-year term of office, beginning with the first meeting held after school Community Council elections each September.
  6. The chair must be a parent or guardian member. The vice-chair may be either a parent/guardian member or an employee member of the council excluding the principal.
  7. If an officer position becomes vacant, the council shall fill the vacancy at the next meeting following the notice of vacancy.

Article VIII: Attendance

Members, parent and employee, are expected to attend meetings.

  1. If a member cannot attend a meeting, they should notify the Chair or Principal prior to the meeting.
  2. If a Hillcrest SCC member misses three consecutive meetings during a given school year they will be invited to a discussion with the Principal and Chair and may be asked to provide a letter of resignation. The respective group (parent or employee) may appoint a replacement from the alternate members.
  3. If no alternates are available to serve, and by vote it is determined that the seat needs to be filled, the SCC may seek out parents or school employees to be appointed.

Article IX: Meetings

The Hillcrest SCC will meet monthly with the exception of June and July. The majority of the council must approve of canceling and/or calling additional meetings. School Community Councils are subject to Open Meetings Law , Utah Code Title 52, Chapter 4,§207.

The council is in session at a meeting when a quorum is present and operates under the following mies:

  1. A quorum is defined as a majority of members with the stipulation that the majority must follow the legal composition of the counc il and have, at minimum, one more parent member than employee member present to vote.
  2. All meetings are open to the public.
  3. Each meeting will begin with a ten-minute public comment period . Guests may share appropriate input on subjects that fall under the sec purview.
  4. The agenda for each upcoming meeting will be made available to all council members and the public at least one week in advance.
    1. Items for consideration may be submitted to the SCC Chair or Principal at least ten calendar days before the scheduled meeting date.
    2. Submitted items will be placed on the next meeting ' s agenda provided there is sufficient time available, or within two months.
  5. The SCC may invite any person/group to make a longer presentation on issues pertinent to the role of the sec.
  6. The SCC will not discuss personnel issues or individual student information.
  7. Minutes will be kept of all meetings, prepared in draft format for approval at the next schedu led meeting, and posted to the Hillcrest website when approved.
  8. Meetings will follow these conduct guidelines:
    1. Meetings will begin on time, use time wisely and finish on time, and stay focused on the agenda.
    2. Members and guests will come prepared to participate and avoid side conversations during the meeting.
    3. Respect for others in verbal and non, .. verbal communication will be shown at all times
    4. Avoid disruptions by silencing cell phones and taking necessary calls or conversations out of the room during meetings
  9. Meetings shall be conducted and action taken according to simplified rules of parliamentary procedur e as req uired in 53A-1 a-108.1(9)(i).
    1. An action proposed to be taken by the council is stated as a motion.
    2. Such motions require a second by a council member who did not make the motion.
    3. Discussion on the motion will be opened and members will be recognized by the chair as appropriate. When discussion appears to be complete the chair may call for a vote on the motion.
    4. If a council member calls the previous question (a motion to end discussion), a second is required.
  10. A tie vote is deemed a lost vote .

Article X: Voting and Council Business

A vote may be made on decisions when a quorum is present, constituting a majoring of members and one more parent member than employee member present.

Through the use of e-mail communication, the SCC may take any action for which it has authority without convening a meeting. The consent to the action taken must be in writing, must set forth the action so taken, and must be approved by two-thirst of the membership of the SCC.

Article XI: Subcommittees

Subcommittees may be established or dissolved by a majority vote of the council. Members may serve on one or more subcommittees.

  1. Each subcommittee will be chaired or co-chaired by at least one elected school community council member, which will report regularly to the SCC on the comm ittee's progress.
  2. Additional community members , both employee and parent, that are not elected SCC members may serve on any subcommittee with the approval of the SCC.

Article XII: Hillcrest SCC Website

The Hillcrest SCC will maintain a website with an SCC roster, agendas for upcoming meetings, and minutes from past meetings The agenda will be posted on the school website and in the school building one week prior to the meeting.

Article XIII: Amendments

The Bylaws may be amended by the SCC. Written amendments must be submitted to all council members at least one week in advance of any vote taken to approve such amendments. Passage of amendments to the bylaws requires a majority (50%+ I) affirmative vote. The SCC will adhere to the state law if the bylaws and the state laws are incongruent.