Understanding Colorado Requirements for a School Accountability Committee
It is common for Colorado charter schools to have committees that focus on various areas of the school’s mission. However, under state law, every charter school is required to have a School Accountability Committee (SAC). This post is designed to provide an overview of the requirements for the SAC.
The requirements for SACs are found in C.R.S. 22-11-402. Under Colorado law, all public schools, including public charter schools (unless waived, in which case there must be a replacement plan that still meets the intent of the law), are required to have a SAC. The overall purpose of the SAC is to be advisory to the school’s leadership on important decisions like budgeting priorities and developing a Unified Improvement Plan (“UIP”). The SAC also shares in the responsibility of engaging the school’s parent community. The SAC does not possess any authority to adopt binding policies or decisions for the school.
SAC Powers and Duties
Each SAC has the following powers and duties:
To recommend to the school leader priorities for spending school moneys. The school leader must consider the school accountability committee's recommendations in formulating budget requests for presentation to the charter school board.
To advise the school leader concerning the preparation and contents of a school UIP.
If the school is in priority improvement or turnaround, the SAC should publicize the public hearing held pursuant to state law, to review a written public school priority improvement or turnaround plan. A member of the SAC is encouraged to attend the public hearing.
To increase the level of parent engagement in the school. The committee's activities to increase parent engagement must include, but need not be limited to: Publicizing opportunities to serve and soliciting parents to serve on the SAC. In soliciting parents to serve on the SAC, the school accountability committee shall direct the outreach efforts to help ensure that the parents who serve on the SAC reflect the student populations that are significantly represented within the school; assisting the school in implementing its parent engagement policy; and assisting school personnel to increase parents' engagement with teachers, including but not limited to parents' engagement in creating students' READ plans, in creating individual career and academic plans, and in creating plans to address habitual truancy.
Selection of SAC Members
The SAC must consist of at least seven members, as follows:
The principal of the school or the principal's designee;
At least one teacher who provides instruction at the school;
At least three parents or legal guardians of students enrolled in the school;
At least one adult member of an organization of parents, teachers, and students recognized by the school; and
At least one person who is involved in business or industry in the community.
The charter school board determines the actual number of persons on the SAC and the method for selecting the members of the SAC. If the school board chooses to increase the number of persons on the SAC, it shall ensure that the number of parents on the committee exceeds the number of representatives from the group with the next highest representation. A person may not be selected to fill more than one of the member positions (i.e. a teacher who is also a parent has to choose which role they are filling).
If the charter school board determines that the members of a SAC should be appointed, the appointing authority (which can be the school board, or some other person or body) shall, to the extent practicable, appoint persons to serve on the SAC who reflect the student populations that are significantly represented within the school. If the school board determines that persons will be elected by the school community to serve on the SAC, the school principal shall encourage persons who reflect the student populations that are significantly represented within the school to seek election to the SAC. Said student populations may include, but need not be limited to: Students who are members of non-Caucasian races; Students who are eligible for FRL; Students who are ELL; Students who are migrant children; Students who are identified as children with disabilities; and Students who are identified as gifted children.
The members of each SAC annually select from among the parent representatives elected to the committee a member to serve as chair or co-chair of the committee. If a vacancy arises on a school accountability committee because of a member's resignation or disqualification or for any other reason, the remaining members of the school accountability committee shall fill the vacancy by majority action.
If, after making good-faith efforts, a principal or an organization of parents, teachers, and students is unable to find a sufficient number of persons who are willing to serve on the SAC, the principal, with advice from the organization of parents, teachers, and students, may establish an alternative membership plan for the school accountability committee, which plan shall reflect the membership specified above as much as practicable. The members of the governing board of a charter school may also serve as members of the school accountability committee.
SAC Meetings
SACs should meet at least quarterly to discuss whether school leadership, personnel, and infrastructure are advancing or impeding implementation of the school's Performance, Improvement, Priority improvement, or Turnaround plan, whichever is applicable, or other progress pertinent to the school's accreditation contract with the local school board.
If the school is in Priority Improvement or Turnaround status, SACs should publicize and hold a public school accountability committee meeting to discuss strategies to include in the school’s Priority Improvement or Turnaround plan.
If you have any questions about developing governing bylaws or otherwise creating or revamping the SAC at your school, please contact us!