Overview

The purpose of the Principal Advisory Council is to bring parents, school employees, students and community members together to create a better understanding of and mutual respect for each other’s perspectives and share ideas for increasing student achievement and performance.

The members of the Principal Advisory Council are accountable to the constituents they serve and shall:

  1. Maintain a school-wide perspective on issues;
  2. Act as a link between the school and the community;
  3. Encourage the engagement of parents and other stakeholders within the school community; and
  4. Work to increase student achievement and performance through transparent operations and shared best practices.

The Principal Advisory Council operates under the control and management of the DeKalb County School District and will follow Board of Education policies and procedures. The Principal Advisory Council provides advice and recommendations to the school principal, the local board of education and local school superintendent on matters related to school climate/culture, student achievement, and community partnerships.

Fall 2024 Principal Advisory Council Elections

Electronic voting for SY24-25 Principal Advisory Council (PAC) elections ended Wednesday, September 25th at 5:00pm EST. The School Innovation Department would like to thank all candidates for their participation in the elections process and for their desire to assume a leadership role in continuous school improvement. Election results can be found at the links below.

Next Steps
Newly-elected members will be contacted by your principal and/or Council Chair about 2024-2025 meetings dates. Our team will connect new and returning members in a follow-up email. The first PAC meeting of SY24-25 should be held no later than Friday, November 1, 2024.
Plan to complete School Governance 101 training this Fall. Click here to register for a virtual session.

Save the Date! The Fall 2024 PAC Meet and Greet will be held on Thursday, October 10, 2024 at the AIC building. Click here to register

Build context for your role by reviewing minutes, agendas, and resources on your Principal Advisory Council’s webpage. The page can be found under the “About Us” tab on your school’s main site. Review the Council bylaws and other resources on our team’s website: http://www.dekalbschoolsga.org/principal-advisory-councils

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the School Innovation Team at 678.676.0718.

2024-2025 Calendar of Events

School Governance 101 Training
Dates: October 21, November 13, December 11, January 15, and February 12
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Location: Virtual Training Session

Date Time Link to Register
Monday, October 21, 2024 (virtual) 10:00 am-12:00 pm Register Here
Wednesday, November 13, 2024 (virtual) 10:00 am- 12:00 pm Register Here
Thursday, December 12, 2024 (virtual) 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Register Here
Wednesday, January 15, 2025 (virtual) 10:00 am- 12:00 pm Register Here
Wednesday, February 12, 2025 (virtual) 5:00 pm-7:00 pm Register Here
Save the Date! Virtual Fall PAC Cross Council
Date: Thursday, November 14, 2024
Time: 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Register

Innovative Solutions Lab

What is the Innovation Solutions Lab (ISL)?

The School Innovation Department annually hosts a competition that awards funding for proposals that demonstrate innovation in addressing school-based problems of practice. Multiple awards up to $10,000 each are awarded to school-based teams to implement their innovative solution(s).

Who can apply?

Teams must be school-based and comprised of 3-6 individuals. Teams may include teachers, academic coaches, support staff, administrators, parents, and students. Teams must include a principal or assistant principal.

How does my DCSD school-based team apply?

Teams attend a mandatory workshop to identify a problem of practice. Additional technical support sessions are offered through the School Innovation Department. Use the application link, project plan, and budget template linked below to apply.

Get Ready for Pitch Day!

Finalists will present their innovative proposals to a panel of judges at Pitch Day!

ISL Key Dates

  • August 19, 2024: Application Window Open
  • October 11, 2024 (5:00pm EST): Priority Deadline – School-based teams who submit their applications by the priority deadline will receive feedback on their submissions by Monday, October 21, 2024. This feedback may be used to strengthen the ISL proposal before the final application deadline.
  • October 25, 2024 (5:00pm EST): Final Application Deadline
  • November 4, 2024 (5:00pm EST): Pitch Day Invitation Notification
  • November 20, 2024: Pitch Day – a 20-minute block between the hours of 9:00am and 2:00pm

Optional Support Available

  • Information Sessions (Virtual): October 1 (10:00am EST) and October 7 (1:00pm EST)
  • TregoED Situation Appraisal Sessions to Identify a Problem of Practice (In-Person): September 25, October 3, October 8, and October 9 (8:00pm – 12:00pm EST) – Register for course # 5606 in Frontline.
  • Technical Support Sessions (In-Person): On October 10 and 23, the School Innovation team will host optional work sessions to support finalizing your team’s application, project plan, and budget. Register using this link.

ISL Key Documents

If you have questions or need technical assistance, please contact Terrence Martin, Coordinator III, School Redesign at terrence_martin@dekalbschoolsga.org.

Spotlight Schools

What is the Spotlight Schools initiative?

The DCSD Spotlight Schools program is an initiative that highlights innovative instructional practices through in-person school visits and tailored resources. The program will highlight forward-thinking, cutting-edge approaches to teaching and learning for educators to learn and replicate. Hosting schools will welcome and share practices to foster a culture of collaboration and transparency across the district.

Hosting schools will host up to 40 visitors for a full-day visit (between February 2025-March 2025) and curate artifacts for sharing and learning. Selected Spotlight Schools will receive funding, resources, and support. For more information, please contact Alia Summers.

What are the Spotlight School requirements?

  1. Hosting schools must align their innovative practice to one or more of the DCSD Six Essential Systems.
  2. Hosting schools must curate artifacts for sharing and learning their innovative practice.
  3. Hosting schools must create a planning team that will meet with the School Governance Coordinator and school-based teams in December 2024 and January 2025.
  4. Spotlight visits must occur between February 2025-March 2025 (1 visit per school).

Spotlight Schools Key Dates:

The Spotlight Schools application closes November 1, 2024. Selected schools must plan to host their Spotlight School visit between February 2025-March 2025 (1 visit per school).

Spotlight Schools Resources:

If you have any questions, please contact Alia Summers at Alia Summers.

Meetings

The Principal Advisory Council is subject to Georgia’s Open Meetings Act. A meeting for the purposes of the Open Meetings Act is defined as a quorum of the voting members of the Council at which any public matter, official business, or policy is to be formulated, discussed, presented, or voted upon. A committee which is comprised of a majority of the voting members of the Council is also subject to the Open Meetings Act.

All meetings are open unless otherwise provided by law (OCGA 20-2-86(f) and OCGA 50-14-1). Regular meetings may be cancelled or postponed without notice. The Council must:

  1. Post a public announcement of the times, dates and place of all regular meetings for the school year in a conspicuous location at the school and on the Principal Advisory Council webpage located on the school’s District-provided school website;
  2. Give written or electronic notice of the time, place, and date of a specific Council meeting to the Council members at least seven days prior to a regular meeting.

Council meeting agendas must:

  1. Include the time, date, and place as well as all matters expected to come before the Council; and
  2. Be posted at least seven days prior to the meeting, at the meeting site, and on the Principal Advisory Council webpage located on the school’s District-provided school website.

Note: Failure to include an item on the agenda that becomes necessary to address during the meeting does not prohibit the Council from amending the agenda and considering and acting upon the item.

Council meeting summaries must:

  1. Include the subjects acted on and the members present at the meeting,
  2. Be written, and
  3. Be posted on the Principal Advisory Council webpage located on the school’s District-provided school website within two business days of the adjournment of the meeting.

Council meeting minutes must:

  1. The names of Council members present, the description of each motion or other proposal made during the meeting, names of those individuals making and seconding each motion or proposal, and a record of all votes taken;
  2. The name of each person voting for or against each motion or proposal, or abstaining from voting on each motion or proposal;
  3. Be sent to Council members within 20 days following each Council meeting;
  4. Be approved by the Council no later than the next regular Council meeting and be posted on the Principal Advisory Council webpage located on the school’s District-provided website within two business days of the adjournment of the meeting; and
  5. Be kept on file at the school office for anyone to request to review.

Note: Visual and/or sound recording of Open Meetings will be permitted.

Executive Session (Closed Meeting)

Meetings, or a portion of a meeting, may be closed to the public (an “executive session”) ONLY if the Superintendent or his or her designee requests an executive session for matters related to the purchase, disposition or lease of property or real estate; personnel matters except for the receipt of evidence or when hearing argument on personnel matters including imposing disciplinary action or to dismiss an employee or discussing matters of policy regarding employment or hiring practices; or any other matter covered by attorney-client privilege.

In the unlikely event that the Superintendent requests an Executive Session of the Council, the following procedures must be followed:

  1. A majority vote of a quorum present for a Council meeting is necessary to close the meeting.
  2. One of the above listed reasons must be specified for closing the meeting and recorded in the minutes.
  3. Minutes must reflect the names of the Council members present and the names of those voting to close the meeting which should be posted on the Principal Advisory Council webpage located on the school’s District-provided school website.
  4. Only the portion of the meeting that deals with the above listed reasons will be closed; other portions of the meeting must be open, and minutes shall be taken, recorded and open for public inspection as detailed above.
  5. When a meeting or portion of a meeting is closed, the Council Chair will execute and file with the minutes of the meeting a notarized affidavit stating under oath that the closed portion of the meeting dealt with the above listed reasons.
  6. If one or more persons in Executive Session starts a discussion not authorized under the Open Meetings exceptions, the Council Chair shall immediately rule the discussion out of order.
  7. If one or more persons continues the discussion, Council Chair shall immediately adjourn the Executive Session.

Violation of Open Meetings Act

  • Superior courts have jurisdiction to enforce the Open Meetings law; the attorney general has the authority to bring law enforcement actions, criminal or civil.
  • If a superior court determines that a Council has not complied with the act, the court will—unless special circumstances exist—assess in favor of the complaining party reasonable attorney’s fees and other litigation costs.
  • Any individual knowingly and willfully conducting or participating in a meeting in violation of the Open Meetings act is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, may punished by a fine not to exceed $1000.00.

Alternatively, a civil penalty may be imposed by the court in any civil action brought pursuant to this chapter against any person who negligently violates the terms of this chapter in an amount not to exceed $1,000.00 for the first violation. A civil penalty or criminal fine not to exceed $2,500.00 per violation may be imposed for each additional violation that the violator commits within a 12-month period from the date that the first penalty or fine was imposed.

References

Contact Us

    • Alia Summers
    • Coordinator, School Governance
    • Mobile: 678-656-6997