Superintendent Community Advisory Council (SCAC) - Phase 1

The first phase of the Superintendent Community Advisory Council (S-CAC) was from September 2020 through April 2021. More than 20 members met over six months to problem solve, embrace innovation, creativity, and harness the passion for public education that exists in our community. For its first phase of work, the group made recommendations to Superintendent Dr. Ivan Duran on budget decisions made more complex by the pandemic.

Purpose

The Bellevue School District Superintendent Community Advisory Council (S-CAC) was formed in September 2020 to engage a diverse set of voices in district budgeting and other foundational decisions.  The Advisory Committee will provide input and make recommendations to the Superintendent on budgeting, bond spending, and other issues as determined by the Superintendent.

Why is this Important?

The global pandemic caused by COVID-19, coupled with the racial justice movement in the U.S., affords school districts a unique opportunity to think differently and design better solutions for all students.  Bellevue School District has sought the engagement of a broad cross-section of stakeholders to bring new ideas to the fore; to embrace the innovation, creativity, and passion for public education that exists in our community, and to include community members as thought partners in making upcoming budget decision made more complex by the pandemic.

This effort will build on the new feedback loops and continuous improvement efforts the district put in place as school resumed remotely in the fall of 2020.  The Advisory Committee is an important vehicle to promote:

• Engagement of community stakeholders in identifying district spending priorities.
• Strengthened feedback loops with families and students.
• Expanded access to parents and other community members through the networks of participants.
• Opportunities to test and socialize new ideas and approaches.

Members

Members represent a broad cross-section of district stakeholders, including students, parents, educators, administrators, local business and non-profit leaders, and other district partners.

Expectations for Members

The Advisory Committee members are expected to:

• Support the purpose of the project.
• Hold equity and the district’s values at the center of the work: service, integrity, compassion, excellence, respect, and collaboration.
• Assume that together we know more; work to understand and value the assumptions, opinions, and ideas of others.
• Be open to unconventional approaches; new conditions demand new solutions.
• Engage in learning, dialogue, listening, and offering feedback.
• Bring your own lived experience and perspectives to the process.
• Attend all meetings; come prepared and ready to contribute.
• Share airtime: everyone participates, no one person dominates.

Roles and Responsibilities

• The Advisory Committee is:
  • Charged with providing input and recommendations to the Superintendent.
  • Encouraged to communicate and share their work and thinking with their own networks.
  • Invited to identify members who can pro-actively liaise with other district advisory groups to foster communication and collaboration.
  • Asked to commit time to reading and preparation in between meetings.
• The Advisory Committee is not charged with implementing changes in the district, including determining or executing procedural or policy changes.
• The chair or co-chairs will provide periodic updates to the Board of Directors as directed by the Superintendent.
• The Superintendent will consider the Committee’s input and recommendations.

Extensive Stakeholder Engagement

The work of the committee will be augmented by one-on-one interviews and focus groups with district stakeholders and constituents.  Findings from these intake sessions will be shared with the committee during the course of their regularly scheduled meetings.

Term

Members will be asked to serve an initial, one-year term spanning the 2020-2021 academic year.  Term renewals will be discussed in summer 2021.

Documents

Members will be asked to review articles, documents, and other relevant materials between meetings and in preparation for meetings.  The Committee is charged with producing one or more written reports with its recommendations and will be supported in that effort.

Meeting Schedule

The Advisory Committee will meet monthly for approximately two hours between October 2020 and January 2021.

Meetings will be from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. on:

Meetings will be held virtually on the Microsoft Teams platform and will be professionally facilitated. Meetings will be publicly noticed. Meeting materials will be published following each meeting.

• Phase 1: 2020 – 2021
• Phase 2: 2021 – 2022
• Phase 3: 2022 – 2023
• Phase 4: 2023 – 2024