Bates Middle School
School Improvement Council Bylaws
Article 1
NAME OF ORGANIZATION
The name of the organization is the Bates Middle School Improvement Council.
Article 2
PURPOSE
(A) The purpose of the Bates Middle School Improvement Council is to:
(1) assist in the development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the five-
year School Improvement Plan (also known as the "School Renewal Plan" or "Strategic
Plan");
(2) assist in the preparation of yearly Plan updates;
(3) assist the school in the development and implementation of the School Reading
Plan as required by the Read to Succeed Act;
(4) write the annual SIC Report to the Parents, which is to be distributed no later than
April 30 of each year;
(5) prepare, together with the Principal, the annual narrative for the SC School Report
Card;
(6) provide advice on the use of school incentive award expenditures (if allocated by
the legislature and awarded to the school);
(7) provide other assistance as requested by the Principal or local school board.
(B) The Council will not have the powers and duties reserved by law or regulation to the local
school board.
Article 3
NUMBER AND TYPE OF SIC MEMBERS
(A) The SIC will be made up of the following minimum representatives:
(1) Two elected parents of students enrolled in the school.
(2) Two elected teachers assigned to the school.
(3) Two members of the local community appointed by the Principal. The Principal
will make these appointments from the non-parent portion of the community and will
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strive to make appointments that reflect the diversity of the student body and local
community.
(4) The Principal as an ex-officio member of the SIC.
(5) Two ex-officio members in addition to the Principal: the current Assistant
Principles. If an individual holding an ex-officio position is unable to serve on the SIC
for any reason, an appropriate substitute shall be named by the organization that
individual represents.
(B) The SIC shall at all times be made up of a total of twice as many elected members as
appointed members as required by state law. Ex-officio members are not counted in this
calculation.
(C) Each elected and appointed member of the SIC shall have one vote. The Principal as an
ex-officio member shall also have one vote.
(D) Ex-officio positions in addition to the Principal may only be created by the SIC through a
properly adopted amendment to these bylaws. These additional ex-officio members have a
voice but shall not be voting members of the SIC.
(E) No SIC member may vote by absentee ballot or proxy.
Article 4
NOMINATION AND ELECTION AND APPOINTMENT PROCEDURES
(A) Nominations and elections for SIC parent and teacher representatives will be held each
year no later than October 15. The specific date, time, and location that SIC nominations and
elections are to be held will be determined by the SIC from year to year and publicized in
advance within the school community. The Principal will appoint community member
representatives, in consultation with elected SIC members, no later than September 15 of
each year. Council members will assume their responsibilities immediately upon their
election or appointment.
(B) The SIC, in consultation with the Principal, will develop and approve procedures for
parent nominations and elections that are fair and encourage participation by all parents.
The SIC and school will communicate information about SIC parent nomination and election
schedules and procedures to all parents who are eligible to vote in a timely manner using the
most effective methods of communication reasonably available.
(C) Teachers will nominate and elect their representatives to the SIC during a regularly
scheduled faculty meeting or by electronic vote during school hours.
(D) The SIC will keep the results of SIC parent and teacher elections on file, including the
vote totals for all candidates, for a period of at least two years.
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(E) In order to comply with state law reporting requirements, the Principal or his/her
designee will enter the names and contact information for the current school year's SIC
members into the online SC-SIC Member Network no later than November 15.
(F) The SIC Chairperson will ensure that the names of all SIC members for the current school
year are posted on the school website and/or published in the school newsletter.
Article 5
TERMS OF OFFICE
(A) The term of office for elected SIC members is two (2) years. For appointed SIC members,
the term of office is one (1) year. Terms will be staggered so that the terms of office of half of
all SIC elected and appointed positions expire at the end of each year.
(B) The term of office for an ex-officio member of the SIC will continue for as long as that
individual holds the position or office that is represented on the SIC.
(C) There is no limit on the number of terms that an SIC member may serve.
Article 6
SIC OFFICERS
(A) The officers of the Bates Middle School Improvement Council will consist of a
Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, and Secretary. The SIC will elect these officers from among
its elected and appointed members. Officer elections will be held during the first regular
meeting after the SIC has completed its elections and appointments for the year. The term of
office for SIC officers is one year.
(B) Any elected or appointed SIC member is eligible to run for SIC office except that all three
officer positions may not be held at the same time by the same type of elected representative.
Ex-officio members, including the Principal, are not eligible to serve as, or vote in the election
of, SIC officers.
Article 7
DUTIES OF OFFICERS
(A) The Chairperson will preside at all meetings and have general supervision of the activities
of the SIC. The Chairperson will work in partnership with the Principal in planning and
directing the activities of the Council.
The Chairperson, in consultation with the Principal, will prepare the agenda for all SIC
meetings and ensure that the agenda is sent to all Council members and posted publicly in a
timely manner, but no later than 24 hours prior to the meeting. The Chairperson retains the
right to modify the agenda if it is determined to be in the best interest of the Council and
direct the pace of the meeting as best accomplishes the agenda. The Chairperson will appoint
members to standing and temporary committees as needed and serve as an ex-officio member
of all committees.
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(B) The Vice Chairperson will preside at meetings in the absence of the Chairperson and
assist the Chairperson as requested.
(C) The Secretary is responsible for:
(1) Keeping a full and accurate account of the proceedings and actions of all SIC
meetings (minutes) and ensuring that each Council member receives this information
in a timely fashion following each meeting;
(2) Preparing any official correspondence that the Chairperson may request;
(3) Ensuring that the SIC maintains a file that contains copies of past meeting
agendas, minutes, sign-in sheets, Council correspondence, SIC Reports to the Parents
and the SIC bylaws.
(4) Maintaining a contact list of all SIC members that includes current telephone
numbers, addresses and, whenever available, e-mail addresses.
Article 8
SIC COMMITTEES
(A) The SIC may establish, by a majority vote recorded in the meeting minutes, one or more
standing committees as needed to assist in the efficient and effective operation of the Council.
(B) The SIC may also establish, by a majority vote recorded in the meeting minutes, one or
more temporary committees made up of teachers, parents, business leaders, and other
citizens to study specific issues and make recommendations to the Council. An individual
need not be an SIC member in order to serve as a temporary committee chairperson or
member; however, each temporary committee shall include at least one SIC member.
(C) The SIC Chairperson will appoint the members of standing and temporary SIC
committees and designate committee chairpersons.
(D) Such standing and temporary committees shall regularly report and remain accountable
to the full SIC and their scope of work shall be limited to that assigned to them by the full SIC.
Article 9
MEMBERSHIP TERMINATION AND VACANCIES
(A) SIC membership shall terminate immediately upon the following:
(1) a parent representative no longer has a child enrolled in the school;
(2) a teacher representative no longer holds a teaching position at the school;
(3) an elected or appointed member misses three consecutive scheduled meetings
without proper notice to the Chairperson;
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(4) an elected or appointed member submits a letter of resignation to the Chairperson;
(5) an elected or appointed member is elected to the district school board.
(B) In the event that an elected parent or teacher representative's membership terminates
before the end of his/her term, the individual who received the next highest number of votes
in the most recent election shall fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term. If for any
reason such an individual cannot be identified or is unwilling to serve, the SIC Chairperson,
in consultation with the Principal and full SIC, shall appoint another eligible parent or
teacher as appropriate to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term.
(C) In the event that an appointed community member representative's membership
terminates before the end of his/her term, the Principal shall appoint another eligible
community member to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term.
Article 10
MEETINGS
(A) The first regular SIC meeting of the school year will be held no later than September 30.
(B) During the first meeting, the SIC will set a regular meeting schedule for the remainder of
the school year. The schedule will be posted on the school website, included in the monthly
school calendar, and/or otherwise posted in a prominent location in the school. The SIC will
strive to schedule regular SIC meetings on days and times that meet the needs and
preferences of parents and community members as well as teachers and administrators.
(C) The SIC will meet monthly during the school year, except that the SIC may choose not to
schedule a meeting in December. The SIC Chairperson or Principal may call additional
special meetings so long as all Council members are notified of the meeting at least 24 hours
in advance. The SIC Chairperson, Principal, or committee chairperson may schedule
committee meetings as needed so long as reasonable advance notice is provided to all
committee members.
(D) All SIC meetings are open to the public and anyone showing an interest in the SIC and its
activities will be encouraged to attend. Persons who wish to be placed on the agenda must
submit a request to the SIC Chairperson or Principal at least five (5) days before the meeting
date. The Chairperson will time the agenda to ensure that Council business is properly
conducted and that persons scheduled to speak have the opportunity to do so. The
Chairperson has the option to schedule a segment of the agenda for open comments from the
public as needed and as time permits.
(E) The Principal or his/her designee will be scheduled on the agenda of every regular SIC
meeting to share information on school activities, successes and concerns. Committees will
provide reports as scheduled.
Article 11
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SIC DECISION MAKING
(A) Whenever possible, the SIC will make decisions by consensus. If voting is necessary, a
simple majority vote will be sufficient to constitute an action of the SIC. A simple majority of
the voting members of the Council will constitute a quorum so long as at least one parent and
one teacher representative are present.
Article 12
TRAINING
(A) At the beginning of each school year, the SIC will ensure that members have access to
information about their roles and responsibilities as well as information on school and local
district policies and procedures. SIC members will be encouraged to attend School
Improvement Council training workshops sponsored by the district office and/or the SC
School Improvement Council (SC-SIC).
Article 13
BYLAW AMENDMENTS
(A) These bylaws may be amended at any regular SIC meeting by a two-thirds vote of those
present provided that (1) the amendments were previously introduced at a regularly
scheduled meeting held within the last three months, (2) were included in the minutes of that
meeting and distributed to all members, and (3) are listed as an agenda item for the current meeting.
Date Approved: 15 April 2026
