SCHOOL LEADERSHIP TEAM (SLT) UPDATES

At the first School Leadership Team meeting in September, the following matters should be addressed. First, the Team should make sure it has an elected Chairperson (although it is may feel natural, try not to elect the Principal or AP)and there is a 50% ratio of parents to staff. The PA/PTA President counts as a parent and the principal is included as an SLT member. Every Team member should be given a copy of the current:

1. CEP
2. The school-based budget
3. SLT Bylaws
4. CR A-655

The responsibilities of the SLT Team, to create the Comprehensive Educational Plan (CEP) and align the budget with it, should be reviewed for the benefit of new members.  Tentative dates for future meetings should be mapped out. There must be one meeting a month for a total of ten.  Each meeting should be held after school for a duration of at least two hours (Meetings mus be scheduled at a time convenient for the parent members).  There is no way a functioning Team can complete its mission if it is meeting less than that. There should be a stipend of ten dollars an hour for members,up to a maximum of thirty hours($300). Members' hours can be accumulated for work done on SLT sub-committees. The job of the SLT in the fall and winter is to create the 2014-2015 CEP. This requires a needs assessment of the school be conducted, goals are developed, and action plans written. Decisions should be based on consensus.  Try not to simply use the Quality Review, it is just one sample of school data.   Think about looking at the following:

1. Learning Environment Survey
2. Progress Report
3. Quality Review Report
4. ARIS

All Team members should be active in the process. The work of the Team must be reported to the staff and parents through the minutes taken of the SLT meetings. If the 2013-2014 CEP has not been completed, members should review it and make sure the current budget is aligned. The Team must have copies of all budget allocations and line item spending, as well as the Organization Sheet (this provides the team some idea of staff expenses).  Team will mainly deal with Other Than Personnel Spending (OTPS), which is available for public viewing in galaxy.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.  Ivie Bien-Aime, District 18 Family Advocate at ibienaime@schools.nyc.gov.