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POLICY ON ACADEMIC QUALITY ASSURANCE COUNCILS

Currently, the Columbus School District has some 130 schools and one school board. The proposed policy is designed to encourage, but not require, school-based academic quality assurance councils at all Columbus schools as one means of reinforcing the policy-making role of School Board members. The intent is to get as many citizens as practical involved in thinking about (and working on) ways to improve Columbus City Schools. In addition, it is expected that academic quality assurance councils will strengthen the social link between each public school and its associated community. More discussion of this concept may be found on page [X] ACADEMIC QUALITY ASSURANCE AT EACH SCHOOL.

The recommended policy is shown below.

A PROPOSED POLICY ON: BUILDING-SITE EDUCATIONAL QUALITY ASSURANCE COUNCILS

Each school community is encouraged to establish a building-site public body called an "academic quality assurance council". The primary purpose of said council is to conduct educational quality assurance by monitoring the quality of education of at least one academic subject each year and then recommend changes if called for. Specific duties are listed below.

Establishing a council requires an initiative petition signed by 30 members of the local school community, defined as registered voters living within the school's attendance area and parents of children attending the school. At each annual election, voters will be offered the question: "Shall the (school) Council be continued?"

The standard academic quality assurance council will be an elective body of five school-community members serving two-year staggered terms. The name, address, e-mail address, and telephone number of each council member will be a public record. The school principal and a representative of the school's teachers will be non-voting members of the council. After one year of operation, voting members of a council may ask the School Board for a variance from the standard bylaws.

Annual elections will be held shortly before the end of each school year at a time and week established by the superintendent. The head janitor of the school building shall either serve as chief election officer or appoint a substitute. During the designated election week, the following building voting schedule will be used:

Monday . . . Elementary schools

Tuesday . . . Middle schools

Wednesday . . . High (or post middle) schools

Thursday . . . Schools not mentioned above

The duties of the elected members of a school community council shall include the following:

1. Conducting a quality assurance review of at least one academic program at the school building site each school year. Said evaluation will be based on the School Board's approved academic goals. If the council finds a need for a change, council members and school staff would be expected to develop and recommend an improvement plan.
   
   
2. Making written recommendations to the school principal on improving the school's effectiveness. (The principal shall respond in writing in a timely fashion.)
   
   
3. Maintaining an environment conducive to local innovations and "home-grown" solutions to problems by holding public forums.
   
   
4. Participating in establishing rules and setting annual goals at each council's own school.
   
   
5. Issuing an annual progress report to the community before the close of each school year.

To assist in the implementation of this policy, the Superintendent shall prepare an Academic Quality Assurance Council Manual for approval by the School Board. This training manual shall be reviewed for updating at least every three years.

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Address:
Bill Buckel
1641 Hess Blvd.
Columbus, OH 43212
. .Ph. 614--488-8963

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This page last updated: February 27, 2007