Statement of Principles

    Shared leadership is a commitment of Liberty High School and it's community. Trust and mutual respect will promote open communication and invite equitable participation in an on-going process of decision making.

    The focus of all decision making of the Site Based Council is the enhancement of school wide teaching and learning. Decisions are made in order to improve the educational climate and experiences of all students at LHS. "Is it good for students?" will be the core consideration of this council in it's discussions and decisions.

    Any member of the school community--staff members, students, parents, and others may submit proposals to and request decisions of the Site Based Council (SBC). All decisions made by the council must be consistent with the mission and guiding principles of the Issaquah School District and of Liberty High School.

    All members of the school community are encouraged to be involved in the decision making process. Once decisions are made, everyone will support the implementation of these decisions and assume the responsibility for the impact of the change.

Council Membership

    The Liberty Site Based Council shall consist of the following representatives:
-5 teachers, elected by the faculty at large
-1 counselor, elected by the faculty at large
-2 classified representatives, elected by classified staff at large
-4 student representatives
-4 parent representatives
-1 administrator
-1 central office liaison person (non voting member)

    Term of office: Terms of office will be for two years. The exceptions are for students, who will have one year terms, and the first year of the council, when 1/2 the representatives will have one year terms and 1/2 will have two year terms. Terms of office will be from July 1st to June 30th.

    Chairperson: A chairperson will be selected by the site based council group in the spring for the following year. If not all new representatives have been chosen, some current site based members, in keeping with the numerical ratio outlined for representation, may vote. The chairperson job may be jointly held by two representatives if the two choose to run together for the position. The chairperson will keep the building staff informed of the SBC actions at regular faculty meetings. The chairperson should not by the administrative representative.

Procedures for Selection

    Whenever possible, all groups will choose their representatives in the spring so that members will be able to deal with issues necessary for the successful transition from one school year to another.

Faculty--In the spring of each year, faculty will vote at a staff meeting for open positions on the SBC. These will be at large positions. Individuals may nominate themselves of be nominated by someone else. Each faculty member will be allowed to cast the same number of votes as there are positions, and those individuals with the highest number of votes will be the representatives. The next two highest recipients of votes will become alternates and will attend and vote at meetings should a regular faculty representative be unable to attend.

Classified--In the spring of each year, classified staff will choose their representatives at large for open positions on the SBC. Individuals may nominate themselves or be nominated by someone else. The individual or individuals with the highest number of votes will be the representative, the individual with the next highest number of votes will become the alternate.

Student--Student terms shall be one year each. The four student representatives shall consists of one student from each grade level. One of these shall be from the Associated Student Body Board, and the others will be chosen from elected class officers.

Parent/Community--Of the four parent representatives, one will be the president of the PTSA or his/her designee, and one will be the president of the Liberty Booster Club or his/her designee. The other two positions will be at-large positions. These positions will be advertised and interested community members of parents will be invited to submit an application and be interviewed. Interviews will be conducted by the PTSA president, the Booster Club president (or their designees) and two other parents, one from PTSA and one from Booster Club. This team will evaluate applicants and make selections.

Member Responsibilities

    All members of the SBC are expected to attend all meetings. Each member is responsible for gathering input from his or her constituent group as appropriate and to bring up concerns raised by constituent group members. Each member is expected to be familiar with the agenda items and to have read proposals prior to each meeting. Members should not pursue individual agendas and they should consider their position on the council as an opportunity to better the school and to help students progress.

Meetings

    Site Based Council members will decide on an appropriate meeting schedule. the first year, meetings will be help for a full day every other month in the months of October, December, February, April, and June. The council can modify this if necessary. The principal or SBC chair has the power to call an emergency meeting at any time. Meetings are open to the school community for observation. Meeting procedures will be based on Roberts Rules of Order.

Proposals

    Proposal forms will be available in the office. Proposals can be made to the SBC by any individual or group in the school community. Proposals are due to the council chair a minimum of seven days before the next council meeting.

Decisions

    In general, the SBC is a decision making group, not a group that generates proposals, although any member may follow the proposal procedure. The SBC will make decisions that affect the running of the school, such things as new policies, curricular offerings, and scheduling. It will also approve major expenditures of money and budgets. The day to day operations of the building and staff evaluations will continue to be the responsibility of the school administration. A quorum of 2/3, or 12 voting members, is required to conduct business. There must be a 60% vote of those members of the council in attendance at the meeting in order to approve a proposal. When the council deems it appropriate, the staff will be asked for a vote of approval. Agenda and minutes will be published before and after the meeting.

Bylaw Changes

    In order to amend the bylaws, a 60% vote of the SBC is needed. If approved, a 60% vote of the staff, student council, and a quorum of the PTSA is then required before the change can be implemented.