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PCAC presses for updated school‑based management policy; Welsh to compile history and Jackson to request survey
Summary
PCAC members focused on Policy 3415 (School Based Management Team) and AP 4217, raising concerns that training and implementation have lapsed; Ms. Welsh will pull past policy‑governance records and Dr. Jackson will explore a January survey to identify schools with active school‑based management teams.
A central topic at the Dec. 3 PCAC meeting was Policy 3415 (School Based Management Team) and associated Administrative Procedure 4217. Members repeatedly said the policy has not been updated in many years and that implementation and training have lapsed at many schools.
Chair Dolores Millhouse noted Policy 3415 “has not been updated since 01/14/2005” and described the school‑based management team as integral to school improvement, listing typical members (PTA/PTSO, parent advisory group, facility advisory council, union representatives and, in high schools, the student government association). Several members said they frequently encounter schools with no functioning team or parent engagement structures.
Dr. Sheila Jackson told the council the district used to train schools on SBMTs (around 2005) but that training stopped across administrations; she said renewed training, clearer administrative procedures and evaluation metrics are needed for consistent implementation. “If we're not training people... it doesn't happen,” she said.
PCAC members and liaisons agreed on next steps: Ms. Welsh will search policy and governance committee records to assemble background (minutes, reports, previously identified schools) and identify a handful of high‑functioning schools to inform revisions. Dr. Jackson said the district could vet and deploy a short survey in January (after winter break) to determine which schools currently have SBMTs and to collect baseline information on how they operate.
Council members discussed how PCAC can support implementation—by compiling a reference list of active parent groups, coordinating with board representatives, and offering parent training and advocacy to increase fidelity of SBMTs where needed. No policy change was voted on during this meeting; the council positioned itself to provide informed feedback once the policy committee begins formal work in the coming months.
