School Advisory Committee

The School Advisory Committee is dedicated to the promotion and welfare of Catholic education. The Committee’s primary role is to uphold the mission of St. Matthew School by advising the principal, pastor, and parish council in the school visioning and planning process.

Members of the 2022-2023 School Advisory Committee are:

Chair:  Marie Venne

Erin Eaton

Samantha Olson

Rebecca Pierson

Jim Pizur

Kendra Wagner

Teacher Representative:  vacant

Principal:  Laura Fleischmann

Pastor:  Father Patrick O’Loughlin

Council Liason:  Sue Chilson

Parish Representative: Sue Chilson

St. Matthew School Advisory Commisstion Operational Norms

Revised:  May 2022

Section 1:  Name

 This body is the St. Matthew School Advisory Commission hereinafter referred to as the Advisory Commission.

Section 2:  Parish Structure

The Advisory Commission is a standing commission of the St. Matthew Pastoral Council.

Section 3:  Purpose

The Advisory Commission is an advisory body to the school principal.  The purpose of the Advisory Commission is to assist the school principal in:

·       Ensuring the school thrives and remains viable for the future

·       Ensuring excellence in Catholic Culture, Academics, Whole Child Education, and the Stewardship of Resources

·       Supporting the school in its efforts to collaborate with the parish.

Section 4:  Authority

Pastor

The pastor is the spiritual and temporal shepherd of the parish.  He serves the parish community in his teaching, sanctifying and governing duties. Among his teaching responsibilities, he is to see that the word of God is proclaimed, that the faithful are instructed in the faith, that the Gospel message of social justice is promoted, and he has a special care for the Catholic education of children and youth. (Canon 528)  A portion of these responsibilities is carried out through the parish school. He is the key person in relation to the parish educational program.

The pastor is the leader of the parish and as such he is the leader in all the decision-making processes within the parish. The pastor has the responsibility to make decisions consistent with the educational policies established by the Archdiocese. The pastor’s authority at the parish level includes the right to approve or disapprove all recommendations made by the School Advisory Board (including budgetary recommendations), and to select the principal of the school. In addition, the pastor has the authority to ratify the hiring of all school employees (including the ratification of teacher contracts).

Principal

The principal is accountable to the pastor for the spiritual and academic leadership and the administration of the school. The principal has a serious responsibility as spiritual and educational leader of the school. The principal assumes responsibility for understanding and accepting the unique role that Catholic schools serve in the educational mission of the Church. The principal serves as the chief spokesperson in articulating this mission and in calling the faculty and students to participate in a significant way in the life of the Church.

In addition to spiritual leadership, the principal is responsible for the administration of the school program. This responsibility includes the employment, supervision, and evaluation of staff, the establishment of educational programming, and the evaluation and management of student behavior. These responsibilities are assumed with archdiocesan and local policies.

School Advisory Commission

The Advisory Commission authority is limited to formal commission meetings or to situations officially defined in this document.

A single Advisory Commission member or a group of Advisory Commission members cannot speak or act on behalf of the Advisory Commission or the school or parish as a whole unless officially designated by the Advisory Commission to do so.

Section 5:  Collaboration with Principal

The Advisory Commission collaborates with the principal to advocate for the school in the following areas. 

1)      Mission and Governance

a.       Identification, recruitment, and vetting of potential Advisory Commission members

b.      Advisory Commission orientation, training, development, and evaluation

c.       Fidelity to mission

2)      Whole Child Education

a.       Rooted in the conviction that human beings have a transcendent destiny

b.      Education for the whole person must form the spiritual, intellectual, physical, psychological, social, moral, aesthetic and religious capacities of each child. (NSBECS)

c.       Academic excellence for all students

3)      Institutional Advancement: Development, Marketing & Public Relations, and Enrollment Management

a.       Development:  identification, cultivation, and procurement of third-source funding

b.      Marketing and Public Relations:  activities to create, build, and maintain relationships with constituencies

c.       Enrollment Management:  recruitment, enrollment, and retention of students

4)      Finance

a.       School budget and long-term forecasts

b.      School personnel compensation package

c.       School income sources

5)      Long-Range Planning

a.       Strategic Planning

b.      School Improvement Planning

6)      Facilities and Technology

a.       Maintenance and upkeep of facility and technology infrastructure

b.      Short- and long-term capital facility needs and technology infrastructure needs

7)      Policy

a.       May propose local policy that is more prescriptive, but any proposed policy may not in any way conflict with, or supersede, archdiocesan policy. 

b.      Proposed policies require the approval of the pastor.

8)      Emergency Operations Planning

a.       The Advisory Council and principal, in collaboration with appropriate parish personnel, local first responders, and appropriate community members, share the responsibility for developing, implementing, training, evaluating, and adapting EOP.

9)      Principal Search and Selection

a.       May participate in the search and selection process for a new principal. 

b.      The pastor hires the principal

Section 6:  Membership

Selection and eligibility of members

1)      Members are either discerned or elected and approved by the pastor. 

2)      The pastor may appoint an Advisory Council member.

3)      Paid employees and spouses or children of paid employees of the School or Parish are not eligible for Advisory Commission membership.

4)      Members of the Advisory Commission must have a child enrolled in St. Matthew School and/or be a parish member.

Ex-officio Members

1)      Appointed by pastor

2)      Participate fully in all Advisory Commission meetings and discussions

3)      Non-voting member

4)      Required Ex-officio Members:

a.       Pastor

b.      Principal

c.       Pastoral Council Liaison

Regular Members

1)      5 – 9 members

2)      Full voting members

Tenure

1)      Regular member term is three years

2)      Member may serve two consecutive three-year terms

3)      Member who has completed two consecutive three-year terms must be off the Advisory Commission for one full calendar year before regaining eligibility to serve on the Advisory Commission

Installation

1)      Newly discerned / elected members to the Advisory Commission shall be installed at the last meeting of the school year during which they were discerned / elected, after the completion of the regular agenda.

Dismissal

1)      Members who are frequently absent from Advisory Commission meetings without good cause, or who act in a manner that is contrary to the best interests of St. Matthew School or the Advisory Commission, may be recommended for dismissal by the Advisory Commission to the pastor.

Section 7:  Officers

The officers of the Advisory Commission shall consist of a chairperson, vice-chairperson, and secretary, and shall be elected by the Advisory Commission at the first regular meeting of the school year.  All members of the School Advisory Board are eligible for any office. Officers shall serve one-year terms. No officer shall hold the same office for more than two consecutive terms.  The pastor has the final approval of all officers. 

Chairperson:  The chairperson shall preside at all regular and special meetings of the Advisory Commission, shall determine the agenda for all regular and special meetings in collaboration with the principal, and in general, perform all the duties of the office of chairperson and other duties that may be assigned by the Advisory Commission.

Vice-Chairperson:  The vice-chairperson, in the absence of the chairperson, shall perform all duties of the chairperson.

Secretary:  The secretary shall maintain a written record of all meetings of the Advisory Commission. The principal must approve all minutes. The secretary shall furnish a copy of the approved minutes of each meeting.

Section 8:  Meetings

1.)    The Advisory Commission shall meet at least six (6) times per school year, at a designated time and place.

a.       There will be two open meetings during the school year.  The dates of the open meetings will be determined prior to the start of the school year. These meetings will be 15 minutes in length and begin right before the regular meeting. 

b.      Visitor comments will be allowed according to the following procedures:

                              i.            Parents and parishioners of St. Matthew may address the Commission.

                              ii.            The speaker will need to submit a written copy of his/her comments.

                              iii.            The principal and/or pastor will approve the speaker and topic.

                              iv.            The speaker will have 5 minutes to address the commission.

                              v.            The Commission will respond to questions after the meeting in written format.

c.       The right of non-members to address the Advisory Commission at a meeting that is not otherwise open to the school or parish community, shall be reserved to those whose petition has been approved by the principal or chairperson for inclusion on the agenda in advance of the School Advisory Board meeting. The chairperson shall control the speaking time for such person(s).

d.      The Advisory Commission may move any meeting, at any time during the meeting, into a closed session via an approved commission resolution. 

   i.            A closed session is limited to regular and ex officio Advisory Commission members.

   ii.            The pastor may invite or allow a non-member to attend a closed session.

2.)    Special meetings of the Advisory Commission may be called, with the approval of the pastor, by the chairperson or by a majority of the Advisory Commission members.

3.)    No Advisory Commission meeting will be held without the principal and the pastor (or his designated representative) in attendance.

4.)    Quorum: For the purpose of transacting official business, it shall be necessary that a majority of the total members be present.

5.)    The consensus method of decision-making shall be used. Consensus is a Christian approach to group decision-making. It presents an opportunity for all to be heard and avoids a “win/lose” posture that voting promotes. Consensus results in the growth of the group and in fuller ownership of decisions. Consensus has been achieved when there is general agreement or accord among the members. If the board fails to arrive at a consensus and the issue must be decided immediately, the chairperson shall call for a majority vote.

6.)    The board may fix its own rules of procedure, but in the absence of such rules, Robert’s Rules of Order shall apply.

7.)    The ordinary order of business shall be:

a.       Call to Order

b.      Prayer and Reflection

c.       Delegations (if any)

d.      Approval of Minutes

e.       Principal’s Reports

f.        Old Business/Decision-making items

g.       New Business

h.      Board Reports

i.         Pastor’s Comments

j.         Closing Prayer

Section 9:  Committees

The chairperson, in consultation with the principal, shall establish ad hoc committees as needed.

The Advisory Commission chairperson, in consultation with the pastor and principal, appoints the chairperson of all committees.

The Advisory Commission chairperson and principal, in consultation with the chairperson of each committee and approval of the pastor, may invite persons who are not members of the Advisory Commission to serve as members of these committees.

The responsibility of all committees shall be fact-finding and advisory, but never legislative or administrative. Recommendations by any committee shall be subject to ratification and approval by the Advisory Commission.