Saturday, March 27, 2010

Revised A-655 School Leadership Team Regulation- 3/24/10

Please access the link to view the revised A-655 School Leadership Team Regulation, dated March 24,2010.The Regulation was approved by the PEP on March 23rd and replaces the 2007 A-655 document.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Latest Revision of Chancellor's Regulation A-655 (School Leadership Teams)

Subject: NYCDOE: REGULATION OF THE CHANCELLOR A-655



Revised Notice

March 8, 2010






Joel I. Klein

Chancellor





REGULATION OF THE CHANCELLOR



Number: A-655



Category: STUDENTS



Subject: SCHOOL AND DISTRICT LEADERSHIP TEAMS



I. Description of the subject, purpose and substance of the proposed item under consideration and identification of all substantial revisions to the item.



Chancellor's Regulation A-655 updates and supersedes the prior version of the regulation, dated December 11, 2009. The regulation sets forth the rights, responsibilities and composition of school and district leadership teams and the support provided to them. The regulation also describes the grievance process for SLT elections and the Central Plan for School-Based Planning and Shared Decision Making.



Since the initial posting of the revised regulation on December 11, 2009, the Department of Education has received several comments from the public expressing concerns over the respective roles of the principal and the SLT in the budget and CEP process. In response, the Department of Education has made the following substantial revisions in the regulation:

· If the SLT is unable to reach consensus on the CEP, even after seeking assistance from the DLT and the community or high school superintendent (who will attempt to facilitate consensus among the SLT), the superintendent shall make the final determination on the CEP.

· The principal will send a written justification to the superintendent explaining that the school-based budget is aligned with the CEP.

· SLT members, other than the principal, may provide a written response to the principal’s written justification within 10 school days if they reach a consensus that they disagree with the principal’s justification that the school-based budget is aligned with the CEP.

· SLT members, other than the principal, may dispute any decision made by the principal where members of the SLT (other than the principal) reach a consensus that the decision is inconsistent with the goals and policies set forth in the school’s existing CEP, by submitting a written objection to the community or high school superintendent. The superintendent shall provide a written response to the SLT and the principal within 10 school days of receiving the initial complaint, which response shall include the information reviewed and the basis of the superintendent’s decision regarding the dispute.



In addition, the Department of Education has made the following changes in the regulation in response to public comment:

· To ensure alignment of the CEP and the school-based budget, any member of the SLT may request (on behalf of the SLT) the Galaxy Table of Organization Report up to two times per semester and, in response, the principal shall provide this report within 5 school days. In addition, any SLT member may obtain the Galaxy Budget Allocations, which are posted on the DOE website when allocations are issued for the new fiscal year, and the Galaxy Table of Organization Summary Reports, which are posted on the DOE website at the beginning of each academic year.

· The final CEP and the school-based budget shall be posted on the DOE’s or the school’s official website and a copy shall be provided to each SLT member upon request at the school.

· To be eligible to receive the annual remuneration of $300, SLT members, including students and CBO representatives, must complete 30 hours of service on the SLT and attend a mandatory training session relating to CEPs and budget issues each year. This training shall be offered by the Department of Education.

· The superintendent will consult with the SLT regarding any school restructuring plans. The superintendent may not send a designee in his/her stead.



II. Summary of all public comments received following the initial public notice.

Comments received may be summarized as follows:

1. The provision allowing the principal to make the final determination concerning the CEP in cases where the SLT is unable to reach consensus even after it seeks assistance from the DLT, OFEA, and the superintendent should be changed, as it gives the principal too much power and undermines the consensus-based decision-making required by the law; it was suggested that the superintendent and/or the DLT should serve this function rather than the principal.

2. Additional training should be provided to SLT members on a variety of topics by different vendors.

3. When the superintendent consults with the SLT regarding any school restructuring plans, if he/she sends a designee to the meeting, the designee should not be the principal since the principal is a member of the SLT.

4. The justification the principal is required to submit to the superintendent (explaining that the school-based budget is aligned with the CEP) must be in written form.

5. The regulation should provide that, if the SLT submits a response to the principal’s justification, that response should be due within ten (10) (rather than five (5)) days.

6. The CEP and the school-based budget should be made readily available for public inspection, including being posted on the Department of Education’s internet web site.

7. The SLT’s right to dispute the principal’s decision on the budget to the community or high school superintendent where members of the SLT (other than the principal) believe that the decision is inconsistent with the goals and policies of the CEP should be included in the regulation.

8. The SLT’s right to dispute the principal’s decision on any issue that conflicts with the goals and policies set forth in the CEP should be included in the regulation.

9. Any member of the SLT should be allowed to obtain from the principal the Galaxy Table of Organization (not the SLT version) in order to see the evolution of the budget, as well as the Galaxy Budget Allocations and Galaxy reports relating to city, state and federal categorical funding and related school expenditures.

10. The principal should not be allowed to be the chairperson of the SLT.

11. The first draft of the school-based budget should be reviewed by a budget subcommittee of the SLT to give advice and input to the principal.

12. The president of the Community Education Council should be a mandated part of the District Leadership Team.

13. The CEP should be prepared before the school-based budget is prepared.

14. There should be a separate SLT and DLT for District 79.



III. Information regarding where the full text of the proposed item may be obtained.

The full text of the proposed item can be found on the main page of the PEP website: http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/6CD79BF3-24B6-46D6-BA23-79309DA56B60/78936/A655030810substantialrevisionposted.pdf



IV. The name, office, address, email and telephone number of the city district representative, knowledgeable on the item under consideration, from whom information may be obtained concerning the item and to whom written or oral comments regarding the item under consideration can be submitted.



Name: Melissa Harris

Office: Office for Family Engagement and Advocacy

Address: 52 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10007

Email: SLTpolicy@schools.nyc.gov

Phone: (212) 374-4117



V. Date, time and place of the PEP meeting at which the Board will vote on the proposed item under consideration.



March 23, 2010

6:00 P.M.

Michael J. Petrides School

715 Ocean Terrace, Staten Island