The School Advisory Committee is dedicated to the promotion and welfare of Catholic education. The Committee’s primary role is to uphold the mission of St. Matthew School by advising the principal, pastor, and parish council in the school visioning and planning process.
Members of the 2019-2020 School Advisory Committee are:
Chair: Lori Rathman
Maria Waerzeggers
Stacy Pizur
Deanna Harcarik
Susan Haas
Katie Gutowski
Rachel Knitter
Lisa Cheaney
Teacher Representative: Sari Forton
Principal: Kelly Stefanich
Pastor: Father Patrick O’Loughlin
Council Liason: Sue Chilson
Revised: March 2016
The St. Matthew School Advisory Committee shall examine and evaluate the educational offerings of St. Matthew School for the purpose of generating policies consistent with a high quality Catholic education and the goals of St. Matthew Parish. To this end, the School Advisory Committee shall keep advised of the rules and recommendations of the Archdiocesan Office for Schools, Child and Youth Ministries, St. Matthew Parish Council and other parish committees as appropriate. The School Advisory Committee’s legitimate areas of concern shall include mission and Catholic identity, development, marketing, enrollment, policy, education and formation, technology, environment, and other areas deemed to have a significant impact on the education offered to and received by the students of St. Matthew School.
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There shall be six elected members and, one appointed member and up to six Ex Officio members on the St. Matthew School Advisory Committee.
2.1 Elected Members
There shall be six elected members on the School Advisory Committee, serving three-year staggered terms with two seats to be filled by election each spring. Members may serve for two consecutive terms with one year off before they are eligible for Committee membership again.
No regularly scheduled paid employee of any parish education program or the spouse or parent or child of such an employee is eligible for membership on the Committee. This prohibition does not include substitute teachers or other randomly scheduled paid employees.
The six elected members must have a child enrolled in St. Matthew School at the time of their election.
There shall be one appointed member of the Committee that must not have children currently enrolled in the school, but must be a parish member, serving a minimum term of one year and a maximum term of three years.
Newly elected and appointed members to the School Advisory Committee shall be installed at the last meeting of the school year during which they were elected, after the completion of the regular agenda.
2.2 Ex Officio Members
There shall be up to six ex officio members on the School Advisory Committee.
These are: The Pastor or his designee, the Principal, one representative from the Home and School Committee, one representative from the Parish Council, and up to two faculty representatives.
In addition, the immediate past Chairperson of the School Advisory Committee may also serve as an ex officio member for one year when that person is no longer filling an elected seat on the Committee. Ex officio members are not elected and do not vote on matters before the Committee.
2.3 Dismissal
Voting members who are frequently absent without good cause, or voting members who withdraw from the Parish and do not have students enrolled in St. Matthew School, or members who withdraw their children from St. Matthew School and are not Parish members shall be dismissed from the Committee and replaced according to the guidelines set forth in Section 2.4.
2.4 Mid-term Vacancies
Mid-term vacancies of elected or appointed seats on the School Advisory Committee shall be filled by a decision made by consensus of elected members at a meeting in which there is a quorum present. Nominations shall come from any member of the School Advisory Committee.
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There shall be two officers on the School Advisory Committee. These are the Chairperson and the Secretary.
3.1 Appointment of Officers
Each year, at the first meeting of the school year, the officers will be appointed by consensus of the elected members.
3.2 Mid-term Officer Vacancies
Mid-term vacancies in officer positions on the School Advisory Committee shall be filled in the same manner in which officers were appointed at the beginning of the school year. These replacement officers must meet the requirements for officers as set forth in this document and shall serve for only the remainder of the term of the officers they replace.
3.3 Terms of Office and Succession
The term of office for all officers shall be one year. Officers may succeed themselves only once for a total of two consecutive terms in any one-officer position. Filling mid-term vacancies shall not constitute a term for the purpose of this succession rule. Eligibility for a particular officer position is restored after having not held that position for at least one year.
3.4 Duties of Officers
The following are the duties of the School Advisory Committee Officers:
3.4.1 Chairperson
The Chairperson shall schedule regular monthly meetings by announcing them at the first meeting of the school year, set the agenda for those meetings in consultation with other members of the Committee, and conduct the meetings as set forth in the by-laws and according to a consensus model. The Chairperson shall be in regular contact with the Principal.
3.4.2 Secretary
The Secretary shall fulfill the duties of the Chairperson in his or her absence and shall facilitate the taking of detailed notes of each meeting, distribute the minutes within one week of the meeting via email, to members of the School Advisory Committee, school office, and other parish committees as appropriate and maintain archives.
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4.1 Meeting Frequency
The School Advisory Committee shall meet monthly during the normal school year. Special meetings may be called by the Chairperson upon the written request of at least three members of the Committee, which states the intended purpose of such a meeting. Notice of special meetings shall be sent to all members at least three days prior to the meeting and must state the time, place, and intended purpose of the meeting. No other business other than that stated, as the purpose shall be conducted at such a meeting.
4.2 Meeting Structure
The Advisory Committee will follow a consensus model for all decision-making. Any voting member may invoke the “two meeting rule” which shall allow an issue under discussion at any one meeting to be tabled and not decided upon until the next meeting at which a quorum is present. Two open meetings will be held each year. The School Advisory Committee shall be open to comments, questions, and discussion for the first 30 minutes of those two meetings. After that time, the meeting will commence with Committee members only.
4.3 Subcommittees
There shall be subcommittees of the St. Matthew School Advisory Committee from year to year. Any deletion or addition of standing subcommittees shall be decided by consensus of the elected members. The Chairperson for the purpose of efficiently distributing the Committee’s workload may establish ad hoc subcommittees during the year. The Chairperson shall take into consideration the abilities and desires of School Advisory Committee members in appointing them to subcommittees. Individuals who are not Committee members may serve on the committees.
4.4 Quorum
Two-thirds of the voting members of the St. Matthew School Advisory Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. If no quorum is present, meetings are cancelled.
4.5 Annual Election of School Advisory Committee Members
Nominations for new members to the Advisory Committee shall be solicited via nomination papers in the home folders of the school children by April of each year. Interested individuals who meet the qualifications on section 2.1 for elected members shall submit their written nominations by a deadline announced by the Advisory Committee. If valid nominations in excess of the number of vacancies to be filled are submitted, an election by written ballot will be conducted before the June meeting of the Advisory Committee. Ballots will be made available to all parents of St. Matthew School students. The Advisory Committee will establish the date of the voting deadline. Tie shall be broken by written ballot of the currently elected Advisory Committee members. Any issues as to the qualification of a nominee shall be resolved by consensus of the elected members of the Advisory Committee.
4.6 Amending the By-Laws
These by-laws may be amended by the members of the School Advisory Committee provided that each proposed change, addition or deletion shall be submitted in writing as part of the agenda for the meetings at which it will be agreed upon, and provided that no such amendment shall be effective unless adopted by consensus of the elected members of the School Advisory Committee after presentation at two consecutive meeting at which there is a quorum.