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Hortonville Area School District
Gifted and Talented Advisory Committee
By-Laws
Article I: Name
The name of this organization shall be the Hortonville Area School District (HASD) Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Advisory Council and referred to in these Articles as the Council.
Article II: Purpose
A. The Council shall support the philosophy of the Gifted and Talented Program, the District Mission, and the District Strategic Plan. (Refer to Addendum)
B. Overall, the Council shall:
1. Involve teachers, parents, administrators, students, Board members, and community members in shared decision making.
2. Encourage cooperation and increased interaction, growth, trust, and support among teachers, parents, administrators, students, Board members, and community members.
C. Specifically, the Council shall:
1. Review and convey information pertinent to gifted education to the HASD through newsletter-type publications.
2. Maintain an awareness of existing GATE programs and personnel within the District in order to provide suggestions for program improvements.
3. Stay abreast of local, state, and federal legislation relevant to GATE.
4. Network with other school districts and professional organizations related to gifted and talented education.
5. Assist in establishing criteria for the identification of GATE students in the District.
6. Review related GATE policies and GATE program effectiveness.
7. Collaborate with the HASD GATE Parent Group.
D. To fulfill its purpose, the Council shall establish the following sub-committees in accordance with ARTICLE II SECTION C. Only members of the Council shall chair a sub-committee. Sub-committees will share their Minutes with the Advisory Council.
1. Public Relations Committee
2. Policy Review Committee
3. Program Development Committee
4. Student Identification Process Committee
5. Task-Force Committees (as needed
Article III: Ground Rules
A. Members of the Council shall put aside personal agendas and prejudices for the good of the students in the District.
B. Everyone shall be given the opportunity to speak. Everyone shall listen and respect other points of view.
C. District constituents shall be welcome to attend Council meetings and encouraged to participate in discussions.
Article IV: Membership
A. The Council shall consist of the following members at a minimum:
· 5 teachers
· 1 GATE Coordinator
· 3 building administrators (one from each of the following: elementary, middle, and high school
· 1 GATE Resource Specialist
· 5 parents (one from each school)
· 2 high school students
· 1 community member at large
· 1 HASD Board member
Article V: Officers of the Advisory Council
A. Facilitator (Chairperson)
1. The facilitator shall be responsible for helping the Council reach consensus when action is required or requested.
2. The facilitator and the GATE Coordinator shall set the agenda for each meeting with input from Council members
3. The facilitator shall ensure that the agenda is followed and an appropriate amount of time is allocated for discussion of each agenda item.
4. The facilitator shall inform the Council of vacated seats.
5. The facilitator position may be shared by 2 members.
B. Secretary
1. The secretary shall share the Minutes of each meeting.
2. The secretary shall distribute the agenda and Minutes to the Council no later than one week before the regularly scheduled meeting.
3. The secretary shall keep an official record of attendance.
Article VI: Selection Procedures
A. The facilitator shall work with the GATE Coordinator to announce available positions on the Council through newsletters and District postings.
B. At the regularly scheduled meeting in May:
1. A facilitator and secretary shall be selected for the following school year.
2. Vacant seats shall be identified and the names of perspective members will be recommended.
C. At the regularly scheduled meeting in September:
1. New members and officers shall start their terms.
2. Each sub-committee shall be responsible for selecting its own chair.
3. Sub-committee involvement from the outside is encouraged.
Article VII: Terms of Office
A. The term of office shall begin at the regularly scheduled meeting in September.
B. Each term shall be one year in length.
C. The person selected to fill a vacancy shall serve the amount of time remaining in that term.
D. Council members shall serve no more than two consecutive terms. Terms of members filling vacancies shall not be counted toward this total.
E. The facilitator and secretary shall serve a minimum of one year and no more than two years.
Article VIII: Vacancies, Resignations, and Dismissals
A. If a member resigns or does not attend three of the eight regularly scheduled meetings, a vacancy shall be declared within the given category. Exceptions due to unusual circumstances may be made by the consensus of the Council.
B. If a vacancy occurs, new members shall be selected in accordance with ARTICLE VI.
C. If a member of the Council fails to abide by the ground rules as stated in ARTICLE III, the facilitator shall meet individually with the member to discuss concerns of the Council. If further action is deemed necessary, dismissal from the Council shall be considered. A member of the Council may be dismissed only by a two-thirds written ballot vote of the entire Council.
Article IX: Decision-Making Process
A. The process for decision making shall be through consensus when action is required or requested.
B. The facilitator and membership shall work for consensus by:
1. Asking questions to clarify the idea or position.
2. Reacting openly and honestly to the idea or position.
3. Having the facilitator ask the following questions:
· Can you live with this idea or concept?
· Does everyone accept this idea or concept?
· Is there any opposition to this idea or concept?
C. Of a decision is not reached in a reasonable amount of time, the item shall be placed on the agenda for the next meeting.
Article X: Meetings
A. The Advisory Council will meet at least once a month throughout the school year. A summer meeting may be called if deemed necessary.
B. Sub-committees will meet as needed.
C. The Advisory Council facilitator shall be responsible for keeping members informed of upcoming meetings and their related agendas.
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