Scope of Authority and Responsibilities
As an innovation school, the Salem School Committee will have the legal and fiduciary responsibility and be the ultimate governing body for the school. As such, the Superintendent will retain the authority to recruit, hire, select, evaluate, and dismiss the school’s principal. Under this innovation plan, however, BAIS seeks to also have an Advisory Board whose membership reflects all important stakeholders of the school.
The Advisory Board will be a 5 As required by the Innovation Schools Act, any proposed change to the school or amendment to the innovation plan that impacts teacher working conditions would require a 2/3 vote of the eligible faculty.
The BAIS Advisory Board is a collaborative body that deeply understands the Innovation Plan and advises the Principal on important decisions and policies affecting the school. Specifically, the BAIS Advisory Board will have the following scope of authority and responsibilities:
- Serve as a mechanism for collaboration, discussion, and communication that engages all key stakeholders
- Serve as the school’s site council
- Approve the school’s annual budget
- Support and advise the school principal on the implementation of the BAIS Innovation Plan
- Advise the school’s principal on the ongoing usage of the school’s approved autonomies
- Advise the principal on all major decisions affecting working conditions for staff members
- Annually review the school’s progress with respect to implementation of its Innovation Plan and especially its progress in meeting its Measurable Annual Goals
- Collaborate with the principal and others to develop the annual School Improvement
- Plan each year and on all efforts to collaboratively engage all staff and other stakeholders to continuously improve student learning outcomes for all students
- Develop partnerships that further the school’s mission and goals
- Assist with efforts to raise additional funds to support the implementation of the plan.
2024-25 BAIS Advisory Board Members
| Name | Affiliation | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Monique Casallas | Parent | |
| *Vacant | Parent | |
| Laura Towey | Educator | ltowey@salemk12.org |
| Mercy Baez | Educator | mbaez@salemk12.org |
| *Vacant | PSPR | |
| Charity Lezama | Executive Director, YMCA of the North Shore | |
| Andre Fonseca | Director of Multilingual Learning, Salem Public Schools | afonseca@salemk12.org |
Membership
The makeup of the BAIS Advisory Board, including stakeholder representation and how those stakeholders are to be selected, is outlined below:
| Stakeholder Representation | Number of Representatives | How Selected |
|---|---|---|
| Parents | 2 | 1 Selected by the school Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) 1 Selected by the Principal |
| Teachers | 2 | Elected by the faculty of the school |
| Paraprofessionals | 1 | Elected by the paraprofessionals at the school |
| School Principal | 1 | Appointed by the district Superintendent |
| SPS Dual Language Program Representative | 1 | Appointed by the Superintendent |
| Community Members | 1 | 1 Selected by the Principal |
Every effort shall be made to select governing board members who represent the demographic makeup of the school community. Service on this board shall not be compensated,
Term of Service
With the exception of the principal, who shall serve so long as employed in this role, BAIS Advisory Board members shall serve one-year terms that commence on July 1 and end on June 30 of each year. Terms may be renewed should the same individuals be selected to continue their service by selection methods described above. Elections and other selections of members (or confirmations of re-appointment) should occur by June 15th of each year.
Decision Making and Board Leadership
The BAIS Advisory Board will strive to make decisions using a consensus model. Where consensus cannot be reached, decisions will be made by majority rule. The Principal shall serve as the Co-Chair of the BAIS Advisory Board. Another Co-Chair shall be selected from among the members during the first meeting of each term. The only decision-making authority of the BAB will be the approval of the school budget, a responsibility taken on due to the BAB serving as the School Site Council. Other than the budget approval, the BAB will be advisory in nature.
Meetings
The BAIS Advisory Board will hold regular meetings once per month. The times and location of the meetings should be scheduled at a time that is mutually convenient for all members. Co Chairs shall work collaboratively to develop the agenda for each meeting and to ensure that an organized record of Board discussions and decisions made is kept. The Principal is responsible for regularly communicating discussions and decisions made by this body to the broader school community.