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District and campus site-based decision making committees were designed to ensure that teachers, parents and other community members have an active voice in local education matters. The committees may develop an appraisal process and performance criteria for district teachers, and must be consulted if the district adopts a local process and criteria for appraisal instead of using the process recommended by the Texas Commissioner of Education. In addition, a district seeking a waiver from rule or law must submit to the commissioner an application and written comments from either the campus- or district-level committee. The superintendent must regularly consult with the district-level committee, and the principal must regularly consult with the campus-level committee.

At least every two years, the school district must evaluate its district- and campus-level site-based planning policies, procedures, staff development and decision-making activities to ensure that they are effectively structured to positively impact student performance. If a campus is low-performing, the commissioner can order the preparation of a report regarding the effectiveness of the district- and campus-level planning and decision making committees and a plan describing strategies for improving the effectiveness of those committees.

Committee structure

General guidelines regarding the structure and composition of the campus- and district-level decision making committees are found in Section 11.251 of the Texas Education Code. The statute requires the involvement of several classes of people:

  • district professional staff,
  • parents of students enrolled in the district,
  • community members, and
  • representatives from the business community with no consideration for whether the person or the business resides in the district.

The statute prohibits members from sitting in dual roles on the committees; for example, a person cannot sit as both a parent and a community member nor can a person who is an employee of the district sit on the committee as a parent representative.

The statute does not delineate a specific limitation on the size of the committee. However, it does provide several prerequisites for the local school board to address in its policies regarding the decision making committees.

First, the school board is required to adopt procedures that specify the method by which professional staff may be nominated and elected by their colleagues to serve on the SBDM committee and to meet with the school board in that capacity. The statute requires that two-thirds of the professional staff representatives be classroom teachers. Board policy must also provide the procedures for the selection of parents to both committees as well as the selection of community members and business representatives to serve on the district-level committee.

District-level committees

District-level SBDM committees assist the superintendent in developing, evaluating and annually revising the district's improvement plan, in accordance with district policy. The plan must include provisions for a comprehensive needs assessment addressing student performance, measurable district performance objectives and strategies for improving student performance. These committees also advise the district in the adoption of a student code of conduct, which must specify the conditions that authorize or require an administrator to transfer a student to a disciplinary alternative education program (DAEP).

Campus-level committees

Campus-level SBDM committees assist the principal of each campus in developing, reviewing and revising the campus improvement plan. The committee is to be involved in decisions in the areas of planning, budgeting, curriculum, staffing patterns and school organization. Staff development must be primarily campus-based and developed and approved by the campus-level committees. Districtwide staff development may be used only if it is developed and approved through the district-level SBDM process.