School Leadership Teams Wednesday, March 12, 2014

1. School Leadership TeamsWednesday, March 12, 2014 Madelene Chan Community Superintendent D24 Juan Mendez Superintendent Queens High Schools DLT District 24 Eleanor McNamee District Family Advocate D24 Dr. Pedro Rivera, Division of Family and Community Engagement

2. School Leadership Teams • Establishment of SLT • SLT Team Composition • SLT Roles • Scheduling of Meetings • SLT Governance Sources • Best Practice Advice

3. Establishing the SLT • First establish a PA/PTA • Principal, UFT Chapter Leader and PA/PTA leaders draft by-laws, each constituent groups elects/selects their members • Technical assistance can be obtained from the Community/ High School Superintendents or the Division of FamilyandCommunity Engagement • Team must first amend/adopt the by-laws • Schools with multiple sites will have one SLT; subcommittees

4. SLT Roles • Chairperson • Selection of one member • Ensures that the voices of the team are heard, have information to guide planning, schedules meetings, focuses team members on the most important issues • Secretary • Sends meeting notices and minutes, maintained at the school with copy to PA/PTA • Community and Citywide Education Councils • Act in a liaison capacity with SLT’s: attending meetings as observers/presenters and participating in SLT committees and sub-committees when invited

5. MEETINGS • Minimum of one per month during the school year • Held on school/DOE premises • Mandatory members in attendance • Principal, UFT Chapter Chairperson, PA/PTA President, or their designee. • Notice consistent with open meetings law

6. Identify only a few priorities which can be implemented successfully and will produce high-impact results. • An effective CEP focuses on a few high-leverage approaches and aligns its resources (staff, budget, etc.) accordingly. • The plan is only the beginning: • Treat it as a living document and plan to adjust along the way. • Keys to achieving desired results: • Careful implementation • Detailed follow-through • Continuous evidence-based monitoring of progress: Review of student performance data

7. Budget and CEP Alignment/Resolution Process • Collaboratively develop the school’s CEP concurrent with the school based budget (SSB) • Principal provides Galaxy Table of Organization, Public/SLT View; summary reports can be provided • Assure that the CEP is aligned to the school budget; principal submits a justification of alignment for the SLT to respond to. • If consensus is not met, then follow the superintendent resolution process: • SLT submits their justification within 5 days; the Community Superintendent responds within 10 days (A2 form) cite evidence • revision of SSB and CEP according to the Community Superintendent determination.

8. Consensus Decision Making/Problem Solving Must use consensus-based decision making process as primary means of making decisions. For Example:

9. The group has spent two meetings discussing goal and it is now time to make a decision. Before the meeting, prepare a chart that explains the consensus scale: 1 finger -- "I can say an unqualified yes to the decision. I am satisfied that the decision is an expression of the wisdom of the group." 2 fingers -- "I find the decision perfectly acceptable." 3 fingers -- "I can live with the decision even though I'm not especially enthusiastic about it." 4 fingers -- "I do not fully agree with the decision and need to register my view about why. However, I will not block the decision because I trust the wisdom of the group." 5 fingers -- "I do not agree with the decision and feel the need to stand in the way of this decision being accepted."

10. Teams must develop methods for collaborative problem solving and solution seeking, including conflict resolution strategies.

11. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE? Be clear. Attack the problem, not the person. • WHAT OPPORTUNITY CAN THIS BRING? Work on the positives, not the negatives • WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE IN THEIR SHOES? Do they know you understand them? • DO YOU NEED A NEUTRAL THIRD PERSON? Could this person help you to understand each other, yet build your own solutions? • HOW CAN YOU ALL WIN? Work towards solutions where everyone's needs are respected.

12. The District Leadership Team and/or Superintendent assists with issues where consensus is difficult or consultation with the school principal is not productive

13. SLT Relationship to School Entities • C-30 Level I Committee: • All SLT members must be consulted prior to the appointment of any principal or assistant principal candidate to the school • SLT members are eligible to serve on Level 1 C-30 Committees; if not available, the Chairperson of the C-30 should offer the officers of the school’s PA/PTA the opportunity to serve. • School restructuring Plans • Superintendent consultation required for any school restructuring plans • School closure or significant change in utilization: SLT participates in joint public hearing held at school (A-190) • Multiple School Campuses • SLT’s meet at least 2X per year to discuss issues of mutual concern

14. SLT Governance • SLTs are governed by: • New York State Education Law (Section 2590) • Chancellor’s Regulation A-655 • New York State Commissioner’s Regulation 100.11 • SLT Bylaws

15. Eleanor McNamee, District 24 District Family Advocate emcnamee@schools.nyc.gov Dr. Pedro Rivera, Division of Family and Community Engagement privera8@schools.nyc.gov