LSAT Guideline Highlights

A Local School Advisory Team (LSAT) is a group of elected and appointed members that shall exist in every DCPS school, is constituted according to these guidelines, and conducts the business outlined herein. The team consists of parents, teachers, non-instructional school staff, a community member, and in some cases students, to advise the principal on matters that promote high expectations and high achievement for all students. 

The Local School Advisory Team was previously called the Local School Restructuring Team (LSRT); LSRTs were established by the Superintendent of DC Public Schools in collaboration with the Washington Teachers’ Union in 1992. These teams were established, as the initial guidelines stipulated, “. . . to serve in an advisory capacity to the principal for the purpose of improving student outcomes.”  

The continuing achievement of DCPS students is the goal of all Local School Advisory Teams.

Local School Advisory Teams have primary responsibility for the following:

▪ Working with the principal on initial development, regular monitoring and continuous refinement of the local Comprehensive School Plan (CSP) (school goals), including the supporting budget;

▪ Advising the principal on school priorities;

▪ Reviewing data in order to be informed about school needs and trends;

▪ Using assessment results to develop specific strategies for research-based school improvement;

▪ Promoting a positive school climate through respectful discourse;

▪ Complying with the requirements of the District of Columbia Open Meetings Act and the Freedom of Information Act;

▪ Alignment of strategic and specific goals and objectives of DCPS.

In the course of carrying out these responsibilities, all directed at improving student achievement, Local School Advisory Teams shall discuss and advise the principal on matters such as:

▪ Budget decisions;

▪ Organization of the school;

▪ Curriculum options, including special or supplementary course offerings and

specialized research-based instructional strategies;

▪ Allocation of school resources;

▪ Priorities and considerations for staffing patterns and the selection of personnel;

▪ Monitoring overall student progress;

▪ School culture, and

▪ Family engagement.

In addition, Local School Advisory Teams carry certain responsibilities regarding the excessing of DCPS job positions.

Each Local School Advisory Team will have the following members representing their constituencies:

▪  1 WTU Building Representative or designee

▪  4 Teachers, elected by the ET-15 and EG-09 teachers

▪  4 Parents/guardians who have a student enrolled in the school, elected by the parents

▪  1 Parent Group Leader (of PTA, PTO, PTSA, HSA, or other such group) or designee who has a student enrolled in the school

▪  1 Non-Instructional Local School Staff Member, elected by non-instructional school staff

▪  1 Student (recommended in high schools, and optional at other levels)

▪  1 Community Member who is a resident of the local school’s boundary, works within the school’s boundary, or is a member of one of the school’s official partner organizations (optional)

If all members of the Local School Advisory Team and the principal agree that an additional member(s) is essential, they may include additional members on the team. 

Role of the School Principal or Principal’s Designee

The principal is not a member of the Local School Advisory Team itself but is essential to the Local School Advisory Team’s work and is expected to strongly consider LSAT recommendations.

The principal or their designee will attend all monthly Local School Advisory Team meetings, and will work with the Chair on logistics, meeting planning and agenda creation. At each of these LSAT meetings, the principal and LSAT shall discuss the local Comprehensive School Plan, in addition to any other agenda items and topics that relate to promoting high student achievement.

Role of Local School Advisory Team Members

Effective members work with the principal and DCPS central office in professional development sessions to understand data, current challenges, and multiple perspectives in order to better understand the needs of the students and the local school. It is not the role of the Local School Advisory Team to pass resolutions, but rather to advise and inform the school leadership team.

Role of the Local School Advisory Team Chair

The Local School Advisory Team Chair is elected by the team from among its members by a simple majority secret ballot vote. The Chair must be a current school staff member or the parent/guardian of a current student. The Local School Advisory Team may decide to elect co-chairs, one parent/guardian and one teacher or non-instructional staff member.

The Chair is the primary liaison to the principal and is the principal’s point of contact for the LSAT. The Chair:

▪ Shall convene meetings of the Local School Advisory Team;

▪ Works with the principal on logistics, meeting planning, and agenda development;

▪ Prepares and disseminates meeting agendas;

▪ Facilitates the LSAT meetings;

▪ Encourages other members to attain the knowledge necessary to participate meaningfully which may include identifying internal or external resources;

▪ Serves as liaison between the Local School Advisory Team and DCPS central office, specifically the Communications and Engagement Office (CEO), distributing key information from the central office as well as requesting information from, or voicing concerns to, the central office;

▪ Participates in meetings and professional development sessions for chairs and members.

Role of the Local School Advisory Team Secretary

The secretary is elected by a simple majority from among team members by secret ballot. The position of secretary may rotate during the year in order to distribute the responsibilities of the position over the course of the school year. This may be done by a simple majority vote.

▪ The secretary takes meeting minutes that are to be emailed to the team members and the principal within 1 school day of every meeting to ensure accuracy and transparency. LSAT members and the principal shall notify the secretary in writing within 1 school day of any discrepancies in the minutes.

▪ Personnel and other confidential information will be omitted from minutes at the discretion of the principal. Otherwise, meeting minutes will reflect the discussion accurately.

▪ The secretary shall make a copy of the minutes publicly available on the school website or another site or listserv routinely used by members of the school community within 3 school days of the LSAT meeting.

▪ In addition to the requirement to post meeting minutes within 3 school days, a full record of the meeting, including any exisiting electronic recording of the meeting, must be made publicly available within 7 school days of the meeting. (Note: Electronic recordings are not required to be proactively posted. However, if someone requests an electronic recording of a meeting, it must be made available no later than 7 school days of the LSAT meeting.)

▪ Once approved, and not later than 7 school days after the meeting date, the secretary must also send the meeting minutes, or provide notice that they were publicly posted, to the DCPS Communications and Engagement Office by email to ceo.info@k12.dc.gov

Local School Advisory Team elections are held annually between May 1 and June 30. Terms shall begin July 1 and end on June 30 of the following year. If individuals wish to serve on the LSAT for more than one year, they must go through the election process each time. Members, except the community representative, are elected by secret ballot of the group they represent. (The community representative is appointed to the Local School Advisory Team through a consensus of its members.)

After elections have taken place and all team members have been identified, their names and contact information must be submitted to the DCPS Communications and Engagement Office in order to certify the Local School Advisory Team election. This information should be submitted by email to ceo.info@k12.dc.gov

The Local School Advisory Team meets to review data, assess needs, work on the local Comprehensive School Plan, and work on the school budget.

Scheduling and Frequency

The team shall meet at least once a month. Meetings will be scheduled so that as many members as possible can attend. If a meeting is cancelled, notice of the cancellation shall be made to the school community along with a reason for the cancellation.

Setting the Agenda

The Chair has the responsibility to set a meeting agenda collaboratively with the principal and in consultation with the team members. The Chair provides notice of meetings to all members and to the larger school community.

Providing Notice of Upcoming Meetings:

LSATs must publish a schedule of their meetings at the beginning of the year and must provide as much advance notice to their school community as possible, but not less that 48 hours or two business days, whichever is greater, before every meeting. Notice of the meeting schedule and individual meetings must be made publicly available by:

• physically posting notices in the school

• electronically posting notice via the school’s website or listserv

• and publishing in the District of Columbia Register (DC Register)

Notice must include:

• Time

• Date

• Location

• Proposed Agenda

• If there will be a Closed Session, notice must include the OMA Citation and state the reason justifying the Closure.

The following statement MUST be included at the end of all Meeting Agendas:

“This meeting is governed by the Open Meetings Act. Please address any questions or complaints arising under this meeting to the Office of Open Government at opengovoffice@dc.gov"

Conducting Official Business

In order for a Local School Advisory Team to conduct official business, the presence of the principal, a teacher representative and parent representative from the LSAT is required.

Taking and Approving Minutes

▪ The secretary keeps minutes for each meeting.

▪ Within 1 school day, the secretary distributes minutes to team members and the principal.

▪ Within 1 school day of receiving the minutes from the secretary, team members may comment on the minutes to improve accuracy. Failure to respond shall be taken as assumed confirmation of the accuracy of the minutes.

▪ Within 3 school days of the meeting, after approval by the LSAT members and principal, the minutes will be posted on the school’s website and/or otherwise made available to the school community. Minutes may also be distributed via school newsletter, listserv, or other means that the Local School Advisory Team deems fit.

▪ Minutes, or notice that they were publicly posted, must also be provided to the DCPS Communications and Engagement Office by emailing them to ceo.info@k12.dc.gov.

▪ Minutes must be detailed enough to provide a full record of a meeting. However, confidential information shall not be included.