Schoolsite Councils (SSC)
Virtually all schools in California have a schoolsite council (SSC), a committee of teachers, parents, students and school staff that works with the school principal to plan for the needs of the school.
A major duty of the SSC is to develop and then annually update the School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA), a formal plan for the school that satisfies both state and federal program requirements.
As a part of its work, the schoolsite council must monitor the use of school district funds that are intended to benefit specific groups of students (including English learners and foster youth) and speak up if something needs to change. This oversight function is important in its own right, and it is also a key expectation underlying the state's Local Control funding system.
Once the plan (the SPSA) is approved by the schoolsite council, it is sent to the Board of Education for approval. School district superintendents are responsible for ensuring that each school's SPSA harmonizes with the school district's Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP).
Beginning in 2019, the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires each state to annually identify at least 5% of its lowest-performing schools for extra support and scrutiny. In these schools, the SchoolSite council has some additional responsibilities to go with the additional funds. See below for more about that.
Membership in a Site Council
The SSC is an elected parent body that meets several times each year.
If you are interested in participating or learning more about SSC, contact your school.
The membership of a site council is determined by law. In 2019, the law was changed: the new minimum number of members is ten, down from twelve.
Classroom teachers must make up the majority of school personnel elected. In a ten-member site council at an elementary school, the members are typically: the principal, three teachers who work at the school, one other school employee, and five parents. Members are chosen by their peers — that is, teachers are chosen by other teachers, parents by other parents, and students by students.
In secondary schools, the SSC must include student members (replacing some of the seats held by parents in elementary SSCs); in middle schools the law is silent, which suggests SSCs may include student members. In schools with fewer than 300 students the council can be smaller. Sometimes community members may take the place of a parent if chosen by parents.
