Leadership Councils. At large Constituent Groups
Leadership Councils. At large Constituent Groups Employees may create district-wide at-large Leadership Councils when employees with common areas of interest and expertise are assigned at different schools throughout the district. Constituent Leadership Councils will include administrators and employees and shall be recognized by the District and the Federation. Currently, APS and ATF recognize the following Leadership Councils: • Nurses • Social Workers • Speech and Language Therapists • Transition Specialists • Diagnosticians • Special Education Department Head Teachers Instructional Councils: Process and Content The Instructional Council is concerned with both process and content. The process will be similar at all sites. It is collaboration among stakeholders working together to develop common visions for their sites. The content or issues addressed by each IC will vary in nature. What may be an instructional priority for one school community may not be for another. There are two strategies usually associated with this process: site based management and shared decision- making. These strategies are dependent upon collaboration and consensus building. For shared decision making to work, the issues to be decided must be meaningful and not merely symbolic. Important decisions must be reached in a collaborative manner. Participants can readily discern the difference between involvement and influence. Without experiencing influence, participants may soon choose not to be involved. IC’s are empowered to address school issues that fall within the scope of instructional improvement. Instructional Councils: Decision-Making Processes Consensus Decision-Making: The primary decision-making model is a consensus process, especially when the issue affects the entire staff. A Definition of Consensus Decision-Making Consensus decision-making is a process in which participants make decisions by agreement rather than by majority vote. A consensus process is where representatives of the affected parties with a stake in an issue work together to find a mutually acceptable solution. Decisions are reached through a consensus process that includes the following: • There has been communication with, and input from, constituents. • Participants have reached a meeting of the minds sufficient to make a decision and carry it out. • There is agreement that no one who could block or obstruct the decision or its implementation will exercise that power. • There is agreement that everyone needed to support...
