School-Based Planning

The West Irondequoit Central School District is dedicated to the Peak Performance of all students. The School-Based and Shared Decision-Making Plan is a document dedicated to fostering a collaborative environment in which the voices of educators, students, families, and community members come together to guide the direction and decisions of our schools. By embracing a shared decision-making process, we aim to enhance the educational experience and support student achievement.

In March, 1992, Regulations of the Commissioner of Education were developed establishing procedures for school-based planning and shared decision-making. The intent of the regulation was to foster a process of School-Based Planning and Shared Decision-Making, involving parents/guardians, teachers, and administrators to improve the educational performance of all students. The regulation requires every Board of Education to ensure that an annual plan is developed in compliance with the regulation.

This plan serves two purposes:
Part I: Requirements of NYSED 100.11: Part I provides specific guidance for the composition, responsibilities, and conduct of School-Based Planning teams in each school according to NYSED Regulation 100.11.

Part II: General Shared Decision-Making Principles and Guidelines: Part II provides general principles of Shared Decision-Making that apply not only to School-Based Planning teams, but also to groups and committees formed by the building in the interest of making consensus-based recommendations to administration. The end goal of any process or decision will be to improve educational performance and conducted in a cooperative, respectful manner.

Glossary of Terms - Many acronyms are used and may be referenced in your school's plan. A list of terms is provided to assist you.

Part I: School-Based Plans

The requirements of a School-Based Plan and team have been developed based on and to satisfy NYSED Regulation 100.11. The purpose of the School-Based Plans are to improve student educational performances.

Components of the School-Based Plans

Roles and Responsibilities of School-Based Plan Members

Responsibilities of Team Members

Member Selection

West Irondequoit Central School District established guidelines for each team's selection process. These guidelines support each team in implementing their selection processes. These guidelines were developed in accordance with recommended selection procedures outlined in the commissioner's regulations. After members are selected, each School-Planning team is responsible for communicating the names of their membership to their school community.

Parent/Guardian Selection Guidelines

Parent/guardian members will be selected by the parent/guardian constituency at the building level and a procedure will be established to ensure a democratic process.
The parent/guardian constituency will develop the selection process.
The process should be public, democratic and take place in the spring.
There should be a procedure for advertising and recruiting, with a timeline established that will be determined at the building level.
Individual school teams will determine the number of parent/guardian representatives, and a two-year term is advisable, but not required. There are no term limits for parent/guardian representatives and alternate parent/guardian representatives.
A public announcement of all team members will be made annually at the beginning of the school year.
If a building plan allows for alternates, alternates will be selected at the same time using the same method. Alternates may attend all meetings and be trained, but vote only when substituting for an absent team member.

Teacher/Paraprofessional /Staff Selection Guidelines

Each school committee determines the number of teachers and paraprofessionals required.
Teachers, paraprofessionals, and staff are elected by West Irondequoit Teacher's Association members in the school.
Teachers must comprise the largest single constituency on the School-Based Planning team.
A two-year term is advisable but not required. There are no term limits for WITA unit members.
West Irondequoit Teachers' Association (WITA)

Leadership Staff Selection

Evaluating Student Achievement

Per Regulation 100.11, the plans must address the means and standards by which all parties shall evaluate improvement in student achievement. The teams should engage in an annual planning process that includes but is not limited to:

Using school performance information to improve student success
Setting building instructional goals consistent with identified building needs and district standards of excellence, in alignment with Instructional Blueprint
Review the organization and design of the instructional delivery systems and student support services as necessary
Evaluating student achievement in relation to the identified building goals and the district standards of excellence
Developing a long-range plan for achieving building goals and update it throughout the school year
Monitoring the progress of the plan
Reporting results to the school community as necessary

Meeting Frequency

The School-Planning teams meet on a monthly basis at a time determined by each school. Most meetings are held on a regularly scheduled day and meeting time and the schedule is included in the school's newsletter or on their website. You may also call the school office to inquire when the School-Based Planning meetings are held in a school.

School planning teams may meet more often than monthly when there are specific needs established by the team. Times of regular meetings should be posted on the district/building website, along with minutes.

Team Accountability

At the end of each school year, building teams must assess the success of their building plan, as well as their shared decision-making (as outlined in Part II). For School-Based Planning, this report will come in the form of the completion of the School-Based Plans (by completing the mid-year and end of year reviews). For Shared Decision-Making, each team will complete this form and provide it to the Office of Instruction based on the requirements laid out in part II of this document.

District Wide Coordination

The West Irondequoit Central School District Board of Education directs the Superintendent of Schools to implement the School-Based Planning Process on a district-wide basis. The Superintendent delegates this coordinating responsibility to a district committee. This committee entitled the "District Coordinating Council," meets twice per year, minimally, to review School-Based Plans, and to provide feedback and support to each school team.

District Coordinating Council Composition

Responsibilities of the District Coordinating Council

Act as a resource to School-Based Planning teams
Review School-Based Plans and provide feedback to each team
Provide for coordination between and among planning teams
Develop the report of the Commissioner's mandated biennial review and present findings to the Superintendent and the West Irondequoit CSD Board
Coordinate members of each School-Based Planning team to meet and share school plans with one another as necessary

Part II: Shared Decision-Making

The West Irondequoit CSD is committed to making student-first decisions. Decision-making is an essential component of district and building operations. The School-Based Planning team and members will also serve as the building's Shared Decision-Making team. Below outlines the expectations for all Shared Decision-Making.

Purpose of Shared Decision-Making

Agenda Items for Shared Decision-Making

Each team has broad discretion over the things they would like to discuss at monthly meetings. All members should be permitted and encouraged to submit items for consideration, which can be items related to the School-Based Plan for the year or items directly related to building matters. Teams have the authority and responsibility to plan, implement, monitor, and evaluate decisions directly related to improving school achievement, as well as their physical, social, and emotional well-being.

Following is a list of potential school-related topics, however, the list is not all-inclusive:

Safety and Security
Instructional Blueprint
Communication
Curriculum
Facilities and Transportation
Mental/Physical Wellness
Strategic Plan focus areas
Parent/Guardian/Community Relations
Scheduling
Building Events and Processes
Staff Professional Learning

Matters regulated by the following may limit decision making by School-Based Planning Teams:

State and Federal Law
SED Regulations and Commissioner's decisions
District collective bargaining agreements
Available financial resources as approved by the Board of Education
Student and/or Staff Confidentiality

Questions Helpful for Determining Which Issues are Appropriate for Shared Decision-Making

Will a decision on that item impact one building, several buildings, or the entire district? If more than one building, the School-Based team may not be the appropriate place.
Does a decision on this item affect student development and/or educational performance?
Is the item proposed the best use of the team's time? Is there another avenue where a decision on this item may be more appropriate?
Would all members of the School-Based team accept responsibility for a decision, made by consensus, on this item?

Accountability for Shared Decision-Making

Teams are accountable to the community, students, parents/guardians, staff, and the Board of Education for decisions they make and for the effect these decisions have on student outcomes.

All decisions must advance and support the West Irondequoit CSD Mission/Vision and Core Commitments, as well as align to the Strategic Plan and Instructional Blueprint.
Teams will actively seek ideas from stakeholder group via polls, surveys, focus groups, etc.
Teams will communicate proposals and decisions through Shared Decision-Making to the rest of the building and building community in a timely manner, including publishing minutes on building website.
Teams must decide how its decisions are carried out and designate roles and responsibilities to implement the decision.
A summary of each team's achievements/decisions will be shared to the Office of Instruction after the decision has been made and/or after the final meeting of the year
- The summary will include the following items collected via this form:
  - Goal - What is the team is trying to accomplish or come to a decision on?
  - Action Steps - What changes or actions are needed to result in improvement?
  - Evidence of Accomplishment/Decision - What is the desired outcome? What did success look like?
Teams must recognize that certain decisions with a wide range of impact should be communicated through newsletters and other media.

Annual training will be provided during summer days or asynchronously for team members (including parent/guardians/students).

Dispute Resolution

Team decisions must be made within the constraints of NYS education law, Board of Education policy, administrative regulations, collective bargaining agreements, and budgetary limits. Decisions are to be made through consensus whenever possible.

Consensus is reached when all participants agree they understand something or some issue, can live with a decision, will support it, and will communicate it. Every attempt should be made to reach consensus on decisions.

By reaching a consensus, each individual on the team is involved in the decisions and requires all team members participation. Listening, thinking, studying, sharing, trust and respect are inherent in the process and should be utilized during all decision-making and discussion. All members must agree to support, or at least not undermine, a decision. Consensus does not mean the decision has to be unanimous. Consensus should lead to the development of the commitment and ownership necessary in collaborative decision-making.

If consensus is unable to be reached, the team may employ the following strategies: