Wrentham Public Schools School Council

Home Families School Council

School Council

Massachusetts Law, Chapter 70, Section 59C provides that each public elementary school in the commonwealth shall have a school council consisting of the school principal, parents of students attending the school, teachers, and other community representatives who are not parents or teachers.

The School council meets regularly during the school year. Members of the community are welcome to attend all meetings. The meetings are open and agendas are posted at the town hall a week in advance.

The Education Reform Act of 1993 outlines four major areas of responsibility for councils:

Adopt educational goals for the school that are consistent with local educational policies and statewide student performance standards
Identifying the educational needs of students attending the schools
Reviewing the annual school building budget
Formulating and monitoring the School Improvement Plan

School Improvement Plan Top of Page

The School Improvement Plan has the following elements:

An assessment of:

The impact of class size on student performance
Student-to-teacher ratios
Ratios of students to other adult supportive adult resources
A scheduled plan for reducing class size, if deemed necessary
Professional development for the school's staff and allocation of any professional development funds in the school budget
Enhancement of parental involvement in the life of the school
School safety and discipline
Establishment of a school environment characterized by tolerance and respect for all groups
Extra-curricular activities
Means for meeting, within the regular education programs at the school, the diverse learning needs of as many children as possible, including children with special needs currently assigned to separate programs
Further subjects the principal, in consultation with the school council, shall consider appropriate