CSC Member: Cooper Howard (Parent: Kindergarten representative)
CSC Member: June Frances Anderson (STL / Staff Representative)
CSC Member: Salynthia Russell (Staff Representative)
What is a Collaborative School Committee?
The Collaborative School Committee (CSC) brings together families, staff and community members to create and implement a plan to promote high achievement within a school. This committee meets on a regular basis throughout the school year and is an opportunity for key stakeholders to have a voice in their school. We recommend that the CSC serves as the primary family involvement structure for schools, and that the other structures (such as Title I Family Engagement and ELA Parent Advisory Committees) function as subcommittees.
Colorado law requires all schools to have a CSC to increase the amount of accountability and family involvement in our schools. (To learn more about the law and guiding DPS Board of Education policies, see the “Relevant laws and policies” section below.)
We are requesting information on your active CSC. Please upload the supporting documents for the CSC/SAC and Title I (Title 1 schools).
What are the CSC’s responsibilities?
Every school is required by state statute to have a School Accountability Committee (SAC), which are known as CSCs in Denver. The CSC is responsible for:
Providing guidance, evaluation, and recommendations to the Principal and/or the Instructional Superintendent about:
Spending priorities
Preparing a school’s Unified Improvement Plan (and school priority improvement and turnaround plan, if required)
Discussing whether school leadership, personnel, and infrastructure are advancing implementation of the public school’s improvement plan (or priority improvement or turnaround plan, whichever is applicable); discussing any other progress pertinent to the public school’s accreditation contract with the Board
Principal development plans and evaluations
Providing input for principal evaluations as it relates to the CSC
Increasing family engagement, especially ensuring that parents represent the diversity of the student body (including race, free/reduced lunch, limited English proficiency, and disability–as described by Colorado law. The committee’s activities to increase parent engagement must include, but need not be limited to:
Publicizing opportunities for parents to serve on the CSC, ensuring the diversity of parents on the CSC reflects the diversity of the school’s population.
Helping the school implement the DPS family engagement policy (such as that outlined by the Family Empowerment Team)
Helping school personnel increase parents’ engagement with teachers, including (not not limited to) parents’ engagement in creating students’ READ Plans, Individual Career and Academic Plans
What is the difference between CSCs and PTAs?
As explained above, CSCs are required by state law and have specified responsibilities and structures. While parent-teacher organizations can look and feel similar to a CSC — in that they are comprised of parents and teachers, and facilitate family-school partnership — they serve different functions. The National Parent-Teacher Association is an advocacy organization focused on engaging and empowering families in schools. Parent-teacher organizations can work with the National PTA to formalize governance structures and receive membership benefits. For more information about PTAs, contact Cindy Daisley of the Colorado PTA at cindydaisley@copta.org.
