Update on District Leadership Teams: Community and High School Superintendents

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District Leadership Teams 2009-2010 DLT Roll Out: Changes and Connections

SLT Roll Up: Changes and Connections

3Source: Achievement in America: The Numbers and the Stories They Tell; Office of the State Superintendent of Education, June 12, 2008

Purpose

The Office of the Senior Supervising Superintendent offers support and direction to Community Superintendents in their implementation of District Leadership Teams, the development of the DCEP and ancillary governmental tasks for their districts.

Changes in Chancellor’s Regulation A-655 relevant to the Community Superintendents are emphasized in these slides; they selectively focus on the DLT that they facilitate, the DCEP they develop and their roll-up of data and consensus decisions from the SLT’s in their district.

Community Superintendents must offer support, guidance, technical assistance and conflict resolution to all School Leadership Teams located in their District. They coordinate with the Citywide High School Sub-Committee, the School Improvement Office and OFEA.

(As specified in Chancellor’s Regulation A-655, issued pursuant to Section 100.11 Regulations of the State Commissioner of Education)

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District Leadership TeamsRoll Out: Changes and Connections

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District Comprehensive Ed Plan (DCEP)

The Community Superintendent must develop a district plan for the participation of teachers, parents and administrators for school-based planning and decision-making. The superintendent works in collaboration with the DLT. The district plan includes annual goals and objectives that are aligned with the district’s and Chancellor’s goals, and responds to the following six questions:

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BIG SIX Questions for DCEP:

1. Which educational issues are subject to shared planning at the building level?

2. What is the manner and extent of participation of all parties on the SLT?

3. What are the means and standards to evaluate improved student achievement?

4. How will all parties be held accountable for decisions they participate in?

5. What is the process for dispute resolution in the SLT?

6. How will state and federal parent involvement requirements be met?

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DLT Governance Duties and SLT Connections

•SLT’s submit to DLT annual by-laws and list of SLT members by Oct. 31 annually. Changes in membership or by-laws must be forwarded to DLT.

•DLT provides to OFEA list of all SLT members from the schools in the district and DLT by-laws by Nov. 15th.

•DLT’s will collect information from PAs/PTAs for a quarterly status report on SLT and DLT activities beginning December 1 of each year. Use template provided

•Consult with parent reps (Title I committees and PA/PTA’s) to assure goal alignment with federal funded programs and maintain documentation of these consultations.

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CEC Central Plan: DLT Connection

•The Central Plan for school-based planning and shared decision-making incorporates the individual district plans adopted by the District Leadership Teams.

•The Office of School Improvement is responsible for maintaining copies of each district’s CEP plan and for compiling them into the Central Plan.

•The Citywide Education Committee (CEC) approves the Central Plan. Consists of senior UFT, CSA and DC37 reps and other reps designated by the Chancellor.

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Parent Grievances and Elections: Superintendent Role

•Written parent complaint (about school where child attends) filed within 7 days of the election

•Superintendent must decide/respond: 7 days or explain reason for delay

•Parent appeal to the Chancellor: within 10 school days from receipt of superintendent decision

•Chancellor renders decision within 14 days or explain delay in first 7 days. Appealed decision is final

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Biennial Review

DLT’s must complete a biennial review form, submitted to the SSS Office by January 15th of the even numbered years.

2010 form has already been submitted.

This review will gauge the effectiveness of shared decision making in the district.

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DLT Composition

•Community Superintendent (or designee)

•High School Superintendents with schools within the district

•One union rep from CSA, UFT, DC37

•Presidents’ Council President and Borough High School President (or designees)

•Chair of the Title I District Parent Advisory Council (or designee)Optional: CBO’s, President of the District CEC (or designee), member of the Citywide Council on High Schools whose student attends a school within the district.

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NEW Support for SLTs and DLTs

•One designated member of OFEA assigned to each District Community Superintendent

•The OFEA designee will work in coordination with the Community Superintendent to support and assist the DLT; the School Improvement Office will provide training to the SLTs on developing CEPs and Title I requirements.

•The OFEA designee will provide PD and technical assistance to the DLT, the SLT’s in their districts, including high schools.

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Citywide High School Sub-Committee

•Purpose is to bring high school issues to the DLT

•Borough high school representatives serve as liaisons to the DLT’s

•Monthly meeting to review data, relevant issues impacting student performance and brainstorm causal/contributing factors for the action

•Outcomes of these sub-committee discussions reported by the High School Superintendents to DLT’s (standing monthly agenda item with high school reps present).

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Composition of High School Sub-Committee

•High School Superintendent and District 79 Superintendent (or designee)

•Unions: UFT High School Representative; CSA High School Representative; DC37 High School Representative

• One elected parent representatives each High School President’s Council within the geographic district

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School Leadership TeamsRoll Up: Changes and NEW DLT Connections

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NEW 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 SLT disagreement with the principal, then follow the superintendent resolution process: •SLT submits their justification within 5 days; CS response within 10 days (A2 form) cites evidence•revision of SSB and CEP according to CS determination.

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NEW Consensus Decision Making/Problem Solving

•Must use consensus-based decision making process as primary means of making decisions

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

•DLT Superintendent assists with issues where consensus is difficult or consultation with the school principal is not productive

•Team members may make written request for assistance to OFEA

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New 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

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NEW How do DLT’s and SLT’s Connect?

DLT receives “roll up” of all district schools’ CEP goals aligned to budget and consistent with state and federal requirements.

SLT’s submit annual by-laws and list of SLT members to DLT’s by Nov. 15th annually. Changes in membership or by-laws must be forwarded to DLT.

Community Supt’s assist the SLT process to assure quality and equity:

> make written determinations of true alignment of school’s DEP and budget.

> give assistance to SLT’s when consensus is difficult or consultation with the school principal is non-productive.

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NEW Remuneration / Record Keeping

•To be eligible for the annual $300 stipend, SLT members, including students and CBO’s must complete 30 hours of service on the SLT and attend a mandatory training session on CEP’s and budget offered by the DOE.

•All documentation must be submitted to the Chairperson by team members; attendance and minutes must be recorded at every meeting

•Team members must decide to accept the stipend or waive it as a contribution to the school

NEW Annual SLT Assessment of Principal

• The SLT provides an annual assessment to the community or high school superintendent of the principal’s record of developing effective shared decision making relationships with the SLT members during the year.

• Use form in attachment 3

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How are SLT’s the same?Quick Brief for Newcomer Superintendents

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How are SLT’s the same?

•Establishment of SLT

•SLT Team Composition

•SLT Roles

•Scheduling of Meetings

•SLT Governance Sources

•Best Practice Advice

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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 OFEA engagement staff.

•Team must first amend/adopt the by-laws

•Schools with multiple sites will have one SLT; subcommittees

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SLT Composition

•Minimum of 10 members and max of 17 members

•Mandatory: School principal, PA/PTA President and UFT chapter leader or their designees

•Non-Mandatory: Equal number of parents and staff (pedagogic or non-pedagogic)

> Elected by own constituent groups, widely advertised selection process held after spring PTA elections with reasonable advance notice (minimal of 10 days for PA/PTA, observe term limits), open to all members of each group

> Must meet parent and staff eligibility requirements

•Students and CBO reps are optional and do not count towards equal number tally of staff and parents

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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 as a liaison capacity with SLT’s:attending

meetings as observers/presenters and participating in SLT committees and sub-committees when invited

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Scheduling of SLT Meetings

•Twice per month during the school year

•On school/DOE premises

•Mandatory members in attendance

•Notice consistent with open meetings law

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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

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Best Practices for SLTs

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