SSC (School Site Council)

What is School Site Council?

The School Site Council is a group of teachers, parents, classified employees, and students that works with the principal to develop, review and evaluate school improvement programs and school budgets. The members of the Site Council are elected by their peers. For example, parents elect the parent representatives and teachers elect teachers.

The exact duties of School Site Councils vary from state-to-state and even between districts in the same state, but Site Councils generally either make decisions or advise the principal on the school budget and the academic or school improvement plan. In addition to academic planning, many Site Councils are also responsible for making decisions about parent engagement, safety, and communication procedures.

Over the course of a year, a typical site council might consider the goals of the school or district, and
then work with the principal to evaluate the school's progress toward those goals. In this evaluation, the site council might consider school test scores, attendance, discipline records, parent surveys, and input from students.

After looking at the big picture of the school's progress, the site council and the principal create a plan for improvement. This plan might involve a new academic program, staff member or parent outreach strategies, or student engagement programs and activities. A site council may use funds to develop a new reading program, hire a math specialist, hire an additional teacher to reduce class sizes in a particular grade, or a parent liaison to get more parents involved. School budgets are limited and certain categorical funds may be spent on particulars.