,r/ , // 1" ‘ , ’_,. / J ./' _./ / . // “4' ‘2/ J >' ,4 M 4/4; ’ fi‘ 7‘ Ill-ll”? IIIIII ‘\ V!“ I 5 THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL COUNCIL: FUNCTIONS, CHARACTERISTICS AND ISSUES Thesis for the Degree of Ph. D. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY GEORGE I. WOONS 1972 w—n .mti‘l‘ V ‘ 4- LIBRA R Y1? Michigan State University ' i This is to certify that the thesis entitled THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL COUNCIL: Functions, Characteristics and Issues presented by George J. Woons has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for “AL—4331.63 in Wducation and Curriculum madam Major professor Date May 3L 1972 0-7639 I HGAB & SUNS' BOOK BINDERY INC. ‘ IIII III III IIII III IIII III III II IIIIII IIII II III II IIIII ITflfi er? 4’ (E, ABSTRACT THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL COUNCIL: FUNCTIONS, CHARACTERISTICS, AND ISSUES BY George J. Woons Purpose of the Study The primary purpose of the study was to establish guidelines for the adoption and implementation of community school councils. Concomitant purposes were: (1) to deter- mine the functions and characteristics of community school councils, and (2) to identify some issues pertaining to the establishment of community school councils. The sample for this study was composed on one hundred and sixty persons. They consisted of forty persons from each of the following groups; school superintendents, community school directors, elementary principals, and lay citizens. These people were selected at random from school districts from those receiving community school funding in Michigan from the state in fiscal year 1971. One hundred and eighteen of the one hundred and sixty sur- veyed responded forming the experimental sample. George J. Woons One major hypothesis was developed and subsequently tested statistically using a one-way analysis of variance. Six sub-hypotheses were developed and tested between groups using the Scheffé technique. Major Findings It was determined that there was a significant difference among the groups on fifteen of the thirty-four items on the questionnaire. Eight of these items per- tained to the council's characteristics, and seven dealt with council functions. Scheffé comparisons between the four groups re- vealed there were no significant differences when a fifty percent criterion for rejection was employed. Differences, or issues were identifiable, however, and existed primarily between the perceptions of the three administrative groups surveyed and the lay citizens. The .05 level of signifi— cance was employed in testing for significance. As a result of the review of the literature, as well as an analysis of survey results, recommendations for the establishment and implementation of community school councils were established. . — A»- /_l *\ Councils should consist of aIbraodyirepresentative w...—..; A community membership. In size, they should be between 15 and 20 members. George J. Woons The terms of members should expire with no more than one third of the council membership being replaced at one time. The presiding officer of the council should be a lay citizen. All councils should adept by-laws, or have a written agreement with the board of education. Council functions and characteristics should be determined by the needs of the community, and should be clearly outlined in the by-laws. Council meetings should be held on a regular basis during the school year only. Written agendas should be mailed to council members prior to the meeting. Councils should reach decisions either by vote, or by concensus opinion. The method that is chosen should be determined when the council is formed. School districts should consider a district-wide council when the community education program is in its formative stages. Building councils can be established as the program is deve10ped and refined. School employees should not outnumber lay citizens on the council. School administrators (e.g., community school directors and principals) should not have voting privileges. All council activities should be consistent with current board of education policy. THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL COUNCIL: FUNCTIONS, CHARACTERISTICS AND ISSUES By T George J2 Woons A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Secondary Education and Curriculum 1972 ACKNOWLEDGMENT S My sincerest thanks to Dr. Charles Blackman, chairman of my dissertation committee, for the guidance and patience he extended me prior to and during the pre- paration of this study. Appreciation also is extended to Dr. Richard Featherstone and Dr. Everett Rogers, com— mittee members, for their assistance and direction given on my doctoral program. Appreciation is also extended to the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation for providing me with the most rewarding year of my professional career as a Mott Intern. A Special thanks to Dr. Clyde Campbell, my Mott Advisor, committee member, and friend, for his constant support and encouragement. I thank my fellow Michigan State Mott Interns, Dr. James Coleman, Dr. Larry Decker, Dr. Homer Kearns, Dr. Arnold Munoz, Douglas Lund, Gene McFadden, Jeffrey Moss and Phil Sheridan, who offered me friendship and inspir- ation. Most of all to my wife, Beverly, and my children George Jr. and Lisa, who haven't had much time with their husband and father this past year. The understanding and persistent encouragement they provided made the effort a worthwhile endeavor. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LI ST OF TABLE S O O I O O I O O O O I Chapter I. THE PROBLEM . . . . . . . . . Introduction . . . . . . . . . Purpose of the Study . . . . . Significance . . . . . . . . . Methodology . . . . . . . . . Hypothesis . . . . . . . . . . Assumptions . . . . . . . . . Limitations . . . . . . . . . Definition of Term . . . . . Summary and Overview . . . . . II. SELECTED REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Introduction . . . . . . . . . The Historical Background of Citizen's Councils in American Education Colonial Period . . . . . National Period . . . . . Citizens Councils and Lay Participation The Need for Citizen Participation . The Purpose, Organization, and of Citizen Participation . . Purposes . . . . . . . . . Organization and Functions The Community School Council . DO'S O I O O O O O O O I O Dont's . . . . . . . . . Activities related directly to functioning of the school Activities related to community and civic affairs . . . . . Money raising activities Benevolent activities . . iii Functions, the Page vi H OkOWG)\JU1WNI—' H I“ N 12 13 l3 16 23 25 29 29 33 38 47 48 49 49 49 50 Chapter III. Iv. Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PLANNING AND CONDUCTING THE STUDY . . . Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Selection of the Samples . . . . . . . . Instrumentation . . . . . . . . . . . . Testable Hypotheses . . . . . . . . . . Hypotheses for Scheffé Post-Hoc comparisons O O O C C O O O O O 0 Treatment Of Data 0 O O C O C O O C I 0 Percentage of Questionnaires Returned . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . REPORTING AND ANALYZING THE DATA . . . . Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HypotheSiS O I O I O O I O O O I O I O 0 Areas of Agreement Between Groups . Areas of Difference Between Groups . Discussion of Open-Ended Question . . . School Superintendents . . . . . . . Community School Directors . . . . . Citizens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elementary Principals . . . . . . . smary O O C O O O O O C C O O O O O O REFLECTIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUMMARY IntrOduction I O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 Reflections on the Data . . . . . . . . Areas of Agreement . . . . . . . . . Areas of Disagreement . . . . . . . Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . Term of Membership . . . . . . . . . Council Size . . . . . . . . . . . . Officers of the Council . . . . . . Constitution and By-Laws . . . . . . Meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Decision-Making Process . . . . . . Council Functions . . . . . . . . . iv Page 51 53 53 55 56 59 60 61 62 62 64 64 64 66 76 84 84 86 88 88 91 91 93 94 94 99 99 100 101 101 101 102 102 102 Chapter BIBLIOGRAP APPENDICES A. B. C. District-Wide vs. Building Councils Relationship of the Council to the Professional Staff . . . . . . . Other Comments . . . . . . . . . . Recommendations for Further Study General Summary . . . . . . . . . HY O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL TO SAMPLE . QUESTIONNAIRE O O I O O I O O O 0 PROPOSED CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS, WILLIAMS COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL STURGIS COMMUNITY-SCHOOLS AGREEMENT Page 104 105 106 107 108 111 114 114 115 118 126 LI ST OF TABLE S Table Page 3.1. Division of questionnaire items into functions and characteristics . . . . . . . . 57 4.1 Summary of results of items of agreement among all groups for all nineteen items . . . 67 4.2 Summary of results of one-way analysis of variance among all groups for all fifteen significant items . . . . . . . . . . 68 4.3 Summary of analysis of responses to questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 4.4 Summary of results of post-hoc comparisons between school superintendents and community school directors for all fifteen items . . . . 78 4.5 Summary of results of post-hoc comparisons between school superintendents and citizens for all fifteen items . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 4.6 Summary of results of post-hoc comparisons between school superintendents and elementary principals for all fifteen items . . . . . . . 80 4.7 Summary of results of post-hoc comparisons between community school directors and elementary principals for all fifteen items . 82 4.8 Summary of results of post-hoc comparisons between community school directors and citizens for all fifteen items . . . . . . . . 83 4.9 Summary of results of post-hoc comparisons between citizens and elementary principals for all fifteen items . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 vi CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM The nature of the community largely determines what goes on in the school. Therefore to attempt to divorce the school from the community is to engage in unrealistic thinking, which might lead to policies that could wreck havoc with the school and the lives of children. The community and the school are in- separable. James B. Conant Introduction Community involvement in American Education has taken many forms throughout the years. For example, par- ticipation in school committees, study groups and task forces has been the subject of public debate over the years. These citizens' committees, which may be identi- fied by many names, one of which is the community school council, seem to be emerging as a vehicle of response to public concern about education and the development of a concept in which the school and community work closely together. This vieWpoint is clearly stated by Callahan. In a society such as ours the formation of groups is inevitable. Moreover it is evident that very many of them have contributed to human welfare. However, the public schools, because they are public, are inevitably affected by 1 public opinion and by public pressure. The question, then, is not one of doing away with pressure groups since this would be possible only in a totalitarian state, but rather on? of how they should function in a democracy. It then appears reasonable to proceed on the assumption that there will be involvement by the citizenry. One form of involvement is the focus of this study, namely, the community school council, the role they have in com- munity education programs, and its linkage with the total educational needs of the community. It should be noted that the community school council differs from a P.T.A. Council in that the community school council will address itself to the total educational needs of a community, not just those of the K-12 program. Purpose of the Study The importance of involvement of the layman in the development and Operation of community education programs seems to be generally accepted by community educators. Community educators, as well as citizens, have often dis- cussed the role the public should have in community educa- tion programs. 1Raymond E. Callahan, An Introduction to Education in American Society, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1960, p. 152. The primary purpose of this study was to estab- lish guidelines for the implementation and operation of community school councils. A second purpose was to identify some issues re- garding community school councils. These issues were identified by perceived differences reported from the four groups surveyed. The four groups surveyed include: school superin- tendents, community school directors, elementary princi- pals and lay citizens. A portion of this study also addressed itself to the conflicting viewpoints of these four groups. Another purpose of this study was to explore the functions and characteristics of community school councils. Significance Much of the current literature suggests that good schools exist only in communities that are aware of them, are involved with them, and support them. Current litera- ture also suggests that these conditions occur when teachers and administrators have varied contacts in the community. The relationship that results is not a one- way relationship. The educator does not EgII the people in the community what is good for them, nor does the com- munity dictate what should be taught in the school. A spirit of cooPeration is suggested in which two-way communication is essential. Albert Shanker, President of the United Federation of Teachers in New York says: We should support increased local participation. We should support it because it is an administrative necessity and it enhances the dignity of the partici- pants to be democratically involved in doing something for themselves instead of having something done to or for them. Dr. Clyde M. Campbell made this observation about citizen participation: The layman doesn't ask whether immorality, delin- quency, and crime are educational problems, police issues, social agency responsibilities or so on ad infinitum; his concern is what is happening and why, and what can be done to prevent a progressive deterio- ration in their social development. To say it another way, the specialist often gets caught up into all kinds of bureaucratic operations--power struggles, jurisdictional disputes, political machinations and the like that the public-spirited citizen with clear mind may avoid. Because the layman is free from.dis- concerting emotional entanglements, he often is able to cut straight through to the heart of a problem and probe vigorously for his solution. Campbell further states: Citizens have significant decisions to make. Education is not the sole responsibility of the board of education, not a program handed down from a na- tional capital, not a classroom operation alone, not the work of the institution separate from all other institutions. 2Albert Shanker, "Education in the Ghetto," Saturdavaeview, January 11, 1969, p. 61. 3Dr. Clyde M. Campbell, The Community.School and Its Administration, October, 1964, p. 3. What peOple become depends on how pe0ple have. lived in their communities. If the above quotations are valid observations concerning contemporary public education, perhaps educators should closely analyze their relationship with the com- munity. Most current literature suggests that an active participation by the community is of paramount importance for a successful school program. This study has significance in several areas. First, it established guidelines for the implementation and Operation of community school councils. It identified issues relevant to community school councils as perceived by the four groups listed above. It also pointed out the linkage that the council should have with the community school program. These factors are considered to be significant in one of two ways. This study provides school districts with guidelines for the initiation and operation of coun- cils when developing community education programs. It also aids districts that have existing community education programs and/or councils to evaluate them in light of the research and guidelines resulting from this study. Methodology» This study, by design, was a descriptive survey. It includes a descriptive analysis of the develOpment of 41bid.,_p. 3. lay participation up to and including community school councils. A selected review of the literature as it pertains to community school councils has a significant role in the study. This review, along with data collected by means of the questionnaire described below provide the methodology for this study. Both factors, the review of the litera— ture, as well as the data collected, play an important I role in the deve10pment of the recommendations presented inKEQHEESE‘v. Ik\w“The questionnaire was developed ih an attempt to determine how administrators and citizens feel about the functions and characteristics of community school councils. The questions that were asked are intended to focus on the basic issues of a council's functions and characteristics and whether there is a significant difference in a coun- cil's functions and characteristics as perceived by the four groups surveyed. The primary source of data resulted from a ques- tionnaire. This questionnaire was develOped with the aid of staff from: The Mott Program, Flint Board of Educa- tion, The Mott Leadership Center, The Michigan State Department of Education, and Michigan State University. The questionnaire was sent to selected school superintendents, principals, community school directors, and citizens. These respondents were selected at random from 127 school districts in Michigan that received Com- munity School Funding from the state in 1970-71. The selection of the sample was determined by numbering all one hundred and twenty—seven districts and selecting the first forty of them by means of a drawing. As was stated in the statement of purpose, some issues relevant to councils were identified. These issues deal with the functions and characteristics of councils. The issues that were identified resulted from differences perceived by the four groups surveyed. These issues were analyzed among and between the groups surveyed for signi- ficance. Hypothesis The following was asked: Hypothesis: There are no differences among the perceptions of school superintendents, community school directors, lay citi- zens, and elementary principals, concerning the functions and charc- teristics of community school councils. After analysis of the above question the appr0pri- ate post-hoc comparisons were conducted to determine. significance between respondent groups. One open-ended question was asked. The responses to this question are reported in the narrative of Chapter IV. Although this study traced the origins of com- munity school councils in particular, and citizen involvement in general, it stresses contemporary problems and relationships. Assumptions Whenever dealing with a persisting social problem, such as citizen involvement in education, certain assump- tions are necessary before proceeding. This study was based on the following assumptions: 1. Citizens should be involved in an active way in a school-community relationship. 2. Citizen involvement should be an integral part of a community school program. 3. Schools should provide avenues for citizen participation. 4. Lack of citizen involvement is detrimental to the school-community relationship. 5. Involving citizens with the school program needs to be done in an organized manner. Limitations 1. The data collected are based on the small sample theory statistical technique. 2. The biases of the researcher and participating personnel. 3. The exploratory nature of the study represents a limitation as far as specific results are concerned. 4. The study deals primarily with community school councils as a method for lay participation in education. Definition of Terms Community: A group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society.5 Community School Program: The composite of those services provided to the citizens of the community by the school district, excepting for those services pro- vided through regular instructional activities for children aged 5 to 19 years.6 (This defini- tion applies only to the selection of the sample.) Community School Council: A community school council is one type of organization for voluntary effort to solve problems of common concern in a community school program.7 5Funk and Wagnalls College Dictionary,_(New York: Reader's Digest Publishing Co.), 1968, p. 274. 6Policy for the Distribution of Community School Funds, Michigan Department of Education, 1970-71. 7Adapted from University of Michigan, Community Adult Education Services, Ann Arbor, Michigan. 10 Lay Citizen: A person not possessing the technical know- ledge or skills of the professional educator and who is not serving as a member of the public school staff or as a school board member.8 Community Education: Community education is a comprehen- sive approach to public education which serves the total educational needs of children and adults by mobilizing the resources of the school and com- munity in cooperation with the K-12 program. Summagy and Overview There appears to be little doubt among prominent educators such as Melby, Campbell, and others that citizen involvement in community education is one of the funda- mental issues facing educators. It was the intent of this study to examine one procedure that has been used and make recommendations concerning a future course of action. Although the short-term nature of this research delimits the possibility of any definitive analysis of data, producing "opinions" rather than hard conclusions, a significant initial step was taken by providing, for the first time, an overall view of the history, nature, and 8George D. Harris, Jr., "A Study of Citizen Partici- pation in the Educational Decision--Making Progress as Perceived by Parents from a Lower Socio-Economic Neighbor- hood," (Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University), 1970, p. 11. 11 recommendations for functions and characteristics of com- munity school councils. In Chapter II an attempt was made to place the development of community school councils in historical perspective. An overview of lay participation leading up to the development of councils is presented. The research methodology and design is outlined and developed in Chapter III. The data obtained are re- ported and analyzed in Chapter IV. Reflections on the data, recommendations and summary are presented in Chapter V. CHAPTER II SELECTED REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE If it is believed that the elementary schools will be better managed by the Governor and Council, the Commissioners of the Literary Fund, or any other general authority of the government, than by the parents in each ward, it is a belief against all ex- perience. Thomas Jefferson Introduction The increasing contemporary concern for lay parti— cipation in public education is not a new phenomena. It is a question that has challenged professional educators for years. The public school has historically been the center of diverse public and professional opinion. Since the days of ancient Greece up to, and including the pre- sent, citizens have sought methods of involvement in, and the influence of, public education. The review of the literature focuses on the follow- ing areas: a historical review of citizen's councils in public education, the functions and characteristics of citizen's councils as a means of lay participation, and the community school council. 12 13 The Historical Background of Citizen's Councils in American Education. Colonial Period--l607-l787 History testifies to the effectiveness and wisdom of citizen participation in school affairs. In ancient Greek forums citizens combined their thinking about edu- cational goals and procedures to formulate concepts which to this day have an influence on American education. Public education in the United States owes its origin and much of its deve10pment to citizen interest and effort.1 The Reformation also influenced the trend toward greater citizen participation. Ralph Pounds writes: One of the political results of the Reformation was the trend toward a change of the control of edu- cation to civil as opposed to She previously largely private and religious control. The movement toward public education in the Reform- ation was not, however, necessarily democratic for all classes. Class distinctions were still quite clear, and "public" education was not for the masses.3 lGordon McCloskey, Education.and.Public.Under— standing, (New York: Harper-Rowe, 1967), p. 387. 2Ralph L. Pounds, The Development of Education.in Western Culture, (New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1968f; p. 139. 31bid-, pp. 139-140. 14 Along with the colonization Of America came the transplantation of EurOpean institutions and ideals. Most schools in America between 1607-1787 had public funds appropriated to them, with the teachers still supervised by church officials.4 During the Colonial Period changes did occur that gave citizens more of an Opportunity to voice their views. The Massachusett Laws of 1642 and 1647 are indicative of this movement. McCloskey states: Back in 1647, reflecting citizens' views, the governing body of Massachusetts colony decided that . . . every township in this jurisdiction, after ye Lord hath increased yon number to 50 householders, shall then, forthwith appoint one within their towne to teach all such children as shall resort to him to write and reade, whose wages shall be paid eithr by ye parents or mastrs of such children, or by ye in- habitants in genrall, by way of supply, as ye major part of those yt ordr ye prudentials of ye towne shall appoint: provided those yt sent their children be not oppressed by paying much more ym they can have you taught for in other townes; and it is further ordered, yt where any towne shall increase to ye numbr of 100 families or householdrs, they shall set up a grammar schoole, ye mr thereof being able to instruct youth so farr as they shall be fited for ye univer- sity. . . Since that statement was written, local, state, and national groups, have been combining their efforts 4Francesco Cordasco, A Brief History of Education,. (Totowa, N. J.: Littlefield Adams & Co., 1965), pp. 110-111. 5McCloskey, Op. cit., p. 387. 15 to provide an education which they felt is desirable. Parents were no longer free to let their children go un- educated. American education began to take on a flavor of local control. "Unlike the French, German, and Soviet patterns and more like the English pattern, the American pattern Of control is one of extreme decentralization."6 "It can be seen that the two laws together (1642 and 1647) established the authority of state by requiring towns to establish schools and gave to the local civil authorities the right to manage, supervise, and control schools."7 Two characteristics of American education that re- main to a considerable extent from colonial education are local control and variability. Usually the public schools were conducted autonomously by the people of the communi- ties in which they were located.8 The colonial period left a heritage highly variable in nature, but characterized by a predominance of local control, class segregation, emphasis on religious values, private education, and active citizen participation mainly through the use of "town-hall" type meetings 6Harry G. Good and James D. Teller, A History of‘ Western Education, (London: MacMillan Co., 1969), p. 430. 7Pounds, Op. cit., p. 142. 8Herbert M. Hamlin, The Public.andets.Education, (Danville, Illinois, The Interstate, 1955), p. 37. 16 initiated in New England. Many of these early influences are still with us.9 National.Period-—l787-Present The early years of the National Period were in- fluenced by Thomas Jefferson's philoSOphy. Jefferson was convinced that public education was the guardian of 10 democracy. Jefferson's belief in local control is clearly stated by Beck: The republic was the sovereign, individual state. Alexander Hamilton, not Thomas Jefferson, advocated a strong central government, and had Hamilton written on education he might have gone on record in favor of a national system of schools. But Jefferson never de- viated from his espousal of decentralization. In the matter of school control, he specifically stated that the control of schools should be lodged in the "ward"-- an area nge five or six miles square but smaller than a county. Jefferson's influence on contemporary boards of education is also noted by Beck: Jefferson has been thought of as a philosopher, and this would be a prOper compliment if it.did not detract from the appreciation of his organizational talents. The organization of public instruction in this country owes much to the models that Jefferson wrote into the legislation he helped draft for Vir- ginia. For example, Jefferson demonstrated that if 91bid., p. 38. 10Cordasco, Op. cit., p. 116. 11Robert H. Beck, A Social.History of Education, (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1965): PP. 84-85. 17 the principle of local control and support of schools established by the state were accepted, there would 4, not be insuperable obstacles in the way of effecting suitable organizational structure. For the location Of his grammar schools, Jefferson subdivided Virginia into nine districts. Each district was to have a "college," a name Jefferson preferred for secondary schools, for in the English fashion they were to- board students as well as instruct them. The construc- tion and administration of these colleges Jefferson. left to an independent board of public instruction. "Today our public and private schools have lay school boards which are the outgrowth of eighteenth cen- tury experiments in having citizens oversee the work of the schools."13 Jefferson's thoughts on the organization of the schools were typical of the Eighteenth Century's prefer- ence for decentralized organization and lay control. The legal authority for school control still resides where it was placed during this period--in the state governments which provide the legal sanction and framework within which the lay boards consider policy.l4 Elementary schools during the Nineteenth Century had the following main purposes: (1) Teaching patriotism and citizenship, (2) Developing good moral character and (3) Teaching the 3 R's."15 lzIbid., pp. 86-87. 13Ibid., p. 87. l4Ibid., pp. 87-88. 15Pounds, Op. cit., p. 201. 18 Colonial Latin Grammar Schools were replaced by the Academy founded earlier by Benjamin Franklin. The first secondary school that was called a high school was formed in Massachusetts in 1824.16 During the 1800's local school boards were not sure they could legally levy taxes for secondary schools. Local boards were given more power as a result of the Kalamazoo Case in 1874.17 Pounds reflects on the Kalamazoo decision: With the clearing up of the legal basis, local boards were then free to establish high schools when demands arose. State Legislatures now passed laws encouraging local boards to proceed and, in some cases, they even Offered state aid to the areas that established high schools. Finally state laws were» passed, as had happened in the case of the elementary schools, requiring local districts to establish high schools. By 1900 high schools were so widely estab- lished that they were available to practically every youngster in the United States as a continuation of the elementary school and as part of the "ladder system Of education." The mid-Nineteenth Century was marked by the in- fluence of such educators as Henry Barnard and Horace Mann. Both were laymen who led the fight for free public education.19 lGIbid., pp. 202-203. l7Ibid., p. 204. 18Ibid., pp. 204-205. 19Hamlin, Op. cit., p. 38. 19 The biggest change in public education during the latter half of the century was the introduction of elemen- tary and secondary schools in the south. This was es- pecially true during the period following the Civil War.20 Locally elected boards of education came about largely as an accident out of the New England Town Meet- ing. Educational precedents set in New England had had a profound effect on citizen involvement throughout the country. At town meetings, selectmen were appointed for entire town and school committees for each school.21 As people moved west they took the school commit- tee idea with them. When schools were formed the people then taxed themselves to pay for schools--this began much sooner than the state establishment of such boards.22 Local boards of education also evolved as an em- bodiment of the democratic idea that the right and responsibility to exercise control over public school policies rested with the citizens. Boards of education were created because as communities grew, town meetings no longer proved to be practical.23 There were many organized lay groups that became active around the turn of the Twentieth Century. The ZOIbido, pp. 38-39. 21Pounds, Op. cit., p. 258. 221bid., pp. 358-259. 23McCloskey, Op. cit., pp. 387-388. 20 National Congress of Mothers, the parent organization of today's National Congress of Parents and Teachers was in- strumental during this early period. Other groups included: The Pennsylvania Society for the Promotion of Public Schools, the American Institute of Instruction, the American Lyceum, and the Public Education Association of New York. Farm, labor, industrial, and commercial groups also promoted a variety of developments. Legislators and governors responded to these groups. Eventually every state enacted legislation providing for elementary, secondary, and higher education.24 Hereford clarifies the relationship that has developed between professional educators and citizens: Lay participation in and for the public schools is as Old as the schools themselves. Early school trus- tees, the lyceums of the nineteenth century, parent- teacher organizations, numerous and varied peculiarly local organizations such as band booster clubs, athletic alumni associations, as well as certain anti- public education groups, are merely manifestations of this interest and participation. Boards of education and school administrators have grown accustomed to working in the company of such groups. People that joined these special interest groups appear to have a common bond, the need for personal iden- tity. This commonality seems to stem, at least in part, 241bid., p. 388. 25Karl Thomas Hereford, "Citizens Committee for Public Schools," Bulletin of Bureau of School Services, University of Kentucky, XXVII, September, 1954, p. 284. 21 from the lack of community, in the traditional sense, that existed earlier. New technology brought specialization and mass methods of communication to the community. Mass communi- cation and pressure groups reduced the necessity of close intra-community ties and changed the orientation of the average citizen to a much broader community than ever before. Richard Poston elaborates on this change in society: Slowly but steadily the new technology and its mass methods gnawed deeper and deeper into the founda- tion of community life. Like a great parasite it sucked away the strength of neighborhood society until men and women by the millions lost their motivation for community responsibility. An attitude of what's the use anyway, spread like a plague across America. Many lost confidence even in their own ability. The majority became bystanders in public affairs, and in all parts of a great nation men and women had assumed an attitude of leaning on someone else....The legisla- tive process became laregely a system of specialized pressures all competing for the legislative favor, while the voice of the individual was smothered fur- ther and further beneath top level strategy. Community action of the people had changed largely to a kind of action which was determined from the tOp down by national organizations, impersonalized institutions, and great trade and professional combinations, and today in an all too realistic sense millions of Ameri- cans no longer havg a genuine say in the affairs of their own destiny. 6 Wirth states: 26Richard W. Poston, Community Organization in Inition, (New York: Associated Press, 1959), pp. 32-33. 22 Being reduced to a stage of virtual impotence as an individual, the individual is bound to exert himv self by joining with others of similar interests into organized groups to obtain his ends. . . "Self— government either in the economic, the political, or cultural realm, is under these circumstances reduced to a mere figure of speech or at best is subject to the unstable equilibrium of pressure groups." The influence of these special interest groups on contemporary American society appears to have an influence on citizen participation with roots dating back to the turn of the century. History reveals two pertinent facts regarding citi- zen participation in public education. These are stated by McCloskey: 1. Citizen interest and some types of participa- tion are inevitable. 2. Constructive citizen participation depends on adequate and widespread understanding of the many facets and problems involved in providing good schools.28 The historical background of the school and the laws of the state imply a partnership between professionals and laymen in the planning of educational programs and the improvements of educational practices. 27Lewis Wirth, "Urbanism as a Way of Life," American Journal of Sociology, XLIV, July, 1938, pp. 22- 23. 28McCloskey, op. cit., pp. 388-389. 23 Additional Twentieth Century developments are re- ported in the following sections. Citizens Councils and LayiParticipation Methods of involving citizens in public education have received numerous titles. Some of these include: Citizen Committees, Lay Advisory Councils, Citizen Study Councils, Home-School Committees, and Citizens For Better Schools. For the purpose of this section of this study, the terms Community Councils, Citizens' Committee and/or Citizens' Councils will be applied to include these groups. When describing the above groups and their func- tions, it should be remembered that we are referring to only those that have specific ties with the schools. Many citizen's groups were formed to deal with the braoder spectrum of social problems. As a social invention the community council is nothing new. The first true coordinating council, however, was formally organized in Berkley, California, in 1919. It was developed by the superintendent of schools and the chief of police in order to secure community-wide participation in more effectively meeting the problems of youth in that city. By 1940, over 300 local coordi- nating councils had been organized in twenty-six states. Today they number several thousand, listed under a variety of names--community council, neighbor- hood council, youth council, social welfare council, human relations council, and the like. 29Edward G. Olsen, School and Communifiy, (New York: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1954), p. 448. 24 One Of the earliest community councils organized in Michigan was at Allegan in 1939. Organized in 1939, the Community Council of Allegan has conducted its activities since 1948 as a partici- pant Of the Community School Service Program of the Michigan Department of Public Instruction.30 Pre World War II councils originated as essentially negative, though highly commendable, for the purpose of ameliorating poverty or of preventing juvenile delin- quency. The economic depression Of the 1930's fostered the growth of juvenile delinquency, poverty, and community unrest. Many of these councils were formed on an ad hoc basis to deal with specific school-community problems.31 During the war years, councils concentrated on the problems of home defense, of providing recreational faci- lities for service men and women and of combating wartime delinquency.32 More recently, councils have been established to improve racial, religious, ethnic, and other intergroup relations.33 30Arthur A. Kaechle, "The Community School Council of Allegan, Michigan," The School Executive, January, 1953, pp. 62-64. 31Olsen, op. cit., p. 449. 32Ibid., p. 449. 33Ibid., p. 449. 25 Now emerging is the philosophy that the council should be the agency through which school personnel and community citizens maintain an active and continuing cooperation in the planning of basic school policy itself.34 The Need.for Citizen Participation The growth of lay participation has, in some in- stances, been mandated by the public. Olsen writes: Whether we like it or not, the public school has no real alternative to working with the community and reflecting the will of the people. Local control of the schools is our established tradition and.our demo- cratic strength. This does not mean that schools should descend to the level of bowing to every commun- ity pressure group which comes along; quite the con- trary, for only in enlightened public support won through widespread public participation is the school likely to find strength to resist those very.groups. As the American Association of School Administrators has well said, "Active lay participation in develop- ing school policies is undoubtedly one of the most effective ways to bring the whole community to the realization that it has a stake in the whole educa- tional enterprise. McCloskey reflects a similar viewpoint. "In a free society, educational leaders cannot dictate the terms or purposes of citizens' participation in school affiars. Educators have no right to do so."36 34Ibid., pp. 449-450. 35Ibid., p. 437. 36McCloskey, op. cit., p. 395. 26 Several national organizations have expressed“~ similar philOSOphies regarding citizen participation. The Educational Policies Commission of the National Edu— cation Association has stated that: Many schools are literally insulated in their.com- munities. They are pedogogic islands, cut off.by chan- nels of convention from the world which surrounds them, and the inhabitants of these islands rarely ven— ture to cross these channels during school hours. To be sure, they read about the surrounding world in books and they return to live on the mainland when school is out. Few schools, however, have built bridges over which peOple may freely pass back and forth between school and community. 7 Another national organization that has urged pub- lic participation is the National Association for Super- vision and Curriculum Development. They urge that all peOple who are affected by a decision and its consequences should participate, at some point in the thinking that results in that decision.38 The National Citizens' Commission for Public Schools, an organization that has been dedicated to in- volving citizens in education states: The American public school system is traditionally and distinctively a community affair. Active citizen 37Herbert M. Hamlin, Citizens' Committees in the Public Schools, (Danville, Illinois: Interstate Printers, 1952), p. 130. 38Ibid., p. 133. 27 participation is basic to the preservation of the American public school system. 9 Newton stated in his discussion of the deve10pment of our educational system: To the masses, America has meant Opportunity for the individual and, more than any other single insti- tution, the free school has been the symbol of this meaning. Stearns remarks on the purposes of public educa- tion as they relate to the professional educator and citizen: In similar manner, the fulfillment of the.high purpose of public education demands a continuously. dynamic public will, which assigns to the professional educator the function of research, the function.of. administration, and the skill and art of teaching, but retains jealously for the peOple the power of formula- tion and determination of policy. When the people abdicate this power, or when it is usurped by the professional, then public education be- comes a potential destroyer and not preserver Of free- dom. Indeed, considering the power of education to influence men's thoughts, the assumption of the power to determine educational policy by a clique of pro- fessional educators or through a broad drift toward professionalism would become as destructive of the safeguards of freedom as would the usurpation of power by professional soldiers or professional politicians. 39National Citizens' Commission for Public Schools, How Can Citizens HeIp Their Schools? Working Guide #1, p. 7. 40The Metropolitan School Study Council, Public Action For Powgrful Schools, (New York: Columbia Univer- sity Press, 1950), p. 8. 41Harry L. Stearns, Community Relations.and.The Public Schools, (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice- Hall, Inc., 1955), p. 294. 28 Mort and Vincent support Stearns' basic concepts: Deciding the objectives of public education is a public problem. It is one of the most important acts of policy that can face any community. . .The teachers and administrators of good schools seek ideas from the public. For no one group has the right to dictate the procedures by which the coming crop of citizens is to be prepared. Nor do they command all the resources for doing it. Many members of the public are as. astute and discerning as members of the teaching pro- fession. There are many keen observers of life out- side the teaching profession. Where their ideas are sought and implemented, the schools are better.42 The basic concept that democracy is based on par- ticipation appears quite clear. If barriers are erected between the average citizen and his school system, the fundamental thesis of democracy, that everyone's ideas matter, is threatened.43 Co-operative planning improves schools. In con- trast with the weakness of a program in which policies are established by a few leaders, consider the richness of programs that are co-operatively planned by all inter- ested citizens.44 42Hamlin, Op. cit., pp. 135-136. 43Wilmer J. Menge and Roland C. Faunce, Working Together for Better Schools, (New York: American Book Co., 1953), p. 28. 44Ibid., p. 32. 29 The Purpose, Organization, and Functions,. of Citizen Participation- Purposes Perhaps the organization that has stimulated citi- zens participation in public schools more than any other since its origin in 1947, is the National Citizens Com- mission for Public Schools (N.C.C.P.S.). Founded with the aid of a grant from the Carnegie Corporation, as well as other sources, it has provided the leadership in the area Of citizen participation in education.45 The N.C.C.P.S., in recognition of the values and dangers involved in citizen participation made the follow- ing statement regarding citizens councils: 1. They are broadly representative of the community. They reflect as fully as possible all parts of it, all viewpoints and all interests--economi- cally, geographically, occupationally, cultur- ally, politically, etc.--rather than any one part. 2. They begin with the facts and base all their recommendations upon a continuing study of all available, relevant facts. They do not have an axe to grind. 3. They are independent in thought and action, but they always take steps tO establish and maintain a cooperative working relationship with the legally established authorities. 4 These three characteristics are essential to responsibility. For continuing effectiveness, it has 451bid., pp. 145-146. 30 been found that certain other factors are also neces-. sary. These are good, active leadership:.0rganiza-_ tional structure which will permit the committee to accomplish any aim which can contribute to the over-all goal of better schools; and a working program which includes a continuing exchange of information with the public at large. Kindred reports that resolutions adopted by school boards establishing citizen advisory committees as well as programs of groups formed independently of school sys- tems indicate that their general purposes are as follows: To assist school officials in the development of sound and adequate educational policies and programs; To identify educational needs and work for the solu- tion of related problems; To interpret educational conditions to fellow citizens and enlist their support in seeking improvements; To bring community information, opinion, and planning into the deliberations of school Officials concerned with policy making; To influence public attitudes in support of an action program for changes in the school system; To harmonize differences in educational points of view between school Officials and members of the community.47 Teller states that the purposes which citizens committees for education may serve can best be understood in light of the social and economic conditions of our times. He states these social concerns as: 46McCloskey, Op. cit., p. 416. 47Leslie Kindred, School Public Relations, (Engle- wood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1957), p. 194. 31 Feelings of frustration and feelings of insecurity of many peOple resulting from the depression of the 30's and a failure to achieve world understand- ing following World War II. The threat of growing social stratification in our society. The failure of peOple to understand the relation- ship between the expert and layman. The tendency to centralize decision-making and control in relatively few hands. The growing power of the mass media and less interpersonal communication. The large educational needs of the society com- plicated by lack of clearly defined and agreed upon educational purpose.48 Hamlin, an educator who has had many years of ex- perience in working with various types of citizens' groups, has compiled an extensive list of purposes of school initiated citizens' committees: l. 2. Making studies and recommending policies. Providing two-way communication between the school and public. 48T. L. Teller, "The Purposes, Work, and Value of Citizens Committees," School Executive, January, 1952, p. 71. 10. 11. 12. 32 Determining the impacts of the school upon the community. Discovering community needs which the school is not helping to meet. Developing a school philOSOphy, a statement of school objectives, and a plan for evaluating pro- gress toward these objectives. Correlating the work of the school with that of other agencies. Guiding and supporting the board, the administra- tion, and the teaching staff. Initiating and sponsoring new school projects, such as adult classes, special education, and counselling programs. Getting a school up to date, keeping it up to date, and adjusting it to emergencies. Stablizing a school situation by providing con- tinuity when board members, administrative members, and teachers change. Holding good administrators and teachers by giv- ing them the support they need and deserve. Maintaining a maximum of local control of public education by crystallizing community sentiment against encroachments by state and federal agencies. 33 13. Unifying a community through the participation in the citizens' committees of representatives of many community elements. 14. Providing education about education for future members of boards of education, and for future community leaders. 15. Providing a balanced view of the entire school system in its relations to a community as a cor- rective to the specialized views of most profes- sional workers in education. 16. Introducing new administrators and teachers to a community and aiding them in making contacts with the laymen of the community. 17. Impressing upon professional workers the values which a community holds, and the relationships of their work to the community's value system. 18. Making school Officials aware of minority groups and their needs. 19. Setting and maintaining standards for the admis- sion of students to particular school programs.49 Organization and Function. Citizens councils and advisory committees have been noted to have diverse organizational patterns and 49Hamlin, Op. cit., pp. 67-68. 34 functions. Some groups have been, and will continue to be organized as ad hoc groups to work on a specific prob- lem, then disband at the conclusion of the task. Other groups are formally organized on a continuing basis, meeting regularly, or as the need arises. Research indicates that the initiative for start- ing advisory committees comes from private citizens, community groups, and school officials. Most groups have been formed by boards of education and superintendents to deal with a pressing problem on an ad hoc basis.50 Some groups have been formed independent of action by school Officials. Kindred states, "The largest, single cause for the organization of independent citizen advisory committees is dissatisfaction with the school system and the officials in charge of it."51 Kindred reports three methods for the selection of members to advisory groups. These include: appoint- ment by the board of education, invitation from the board of education to community interest groups, and asking peOple in the community to suggest the names of people that are screened by the board.52 SOKindred, Op. cit., pp. 194-195. SlIbid., p. 195. 521bid., pp. 202-204. 35 Concerning group size, Kindred states: "The Opti- mum size appears to fall somewhere between fifteen and twenty-five." 53 The following organization and procedural princi- ples for citizens' councils are derived largely from the analytical work of Morphet: 1. With the advice of the superintendent, the school board should request community leaders to initiate the organization of a citizens council. The board should provide the council with consultant ser- vices. Plans for forming a citizens council should be dis- cussed with the Parent-Teacher Association. The purpose Of a council should be to improve schools. Council organization and Operation should be based on sound principles of group processes. Relationships between a council, the board, and the superintendent should be carefully defined. A council should be comprised largely of people who are interested in education. Council members should be representative of the entire community. Membership should be related to a council's pur- pose. 53Ibid., p. 205. 36 9. Council members should formalize an agreement on purposes and operating procedures in a written constitution and by-laws. 10. Council deliberations and recommendations should be based on consideration of relevant facts. 11. Council meetings should be Open to the public. 12. Subjects of council work and council recommenda- tions should be made available to the mass media.54 Olsen has developed a list of seven principles that should be followed in developing and working with lay groups: (1) Don't use lay groups exploitively; (2) Stress the recriprocal values to the person asked to participate--the benefits and satisfaction they will re- ceive; (3) Involve students also; (4) Begin with felt problems--areas of concern; (5) Work with, and through the responsible school authorities, as well as teachers; (6) Keep a balance on controversial issues between Op- posing interests; (7) Face the obstacles--historically educators and parents tend to fear each other.55 The Metropolitan School Study Council established in 1946, in New York City, enumerated in its charter seven similar principles. These principles proved sound, 54McCloskey, Op. cit., pp. 416-423. 55Olsen, op. cit., pp. 435-436. 37 although there was not complete agreement concerning what involvement lay citizens should have in the educational planning process. These principles underscore the notion that a real working democracy demands an active partici- pation Of its citizens if it is to Operate efficiently.56 There are numerous Opinions concerning the organi- zational pattern for advisory groups. Most educators favor a minimum of organization with a loose structure set up after the first few preliminary sessions. McCluskey notes some pertinent points while emphasizing a minimum of organization: In general, the machinery of organization should be as simple and functional as possible. Sometimes, councils get so bogged down with mechanics that the leaders are worked out trying to apply the rules and the membership forgets what the council was originally organized to accomplish.57 Kindred describes operational concerns from several approaches. He agrees that the organizational structure should be loose. He thinks that soon after the committee is formed it is wise to outline its rights and responsi- bilities, know its authority, and how to avoid becoming a rubber stamp for the school administration.58 56The Metropolitan School Study Council, Op. cit., pp. 6-130 57 Howard Y. McCluskey, "Why and How Do Community Councils Get Started," The Michigan Newsletter on Commun- ity Development.and Edugation, (Ann Arbor, Michigan: The University of Michigan Press, August, 1965), p. 3. 58 Kindred, op. cit., pp. 205-210. 38 Many citizens councils, whether they are district- wide, or school councils, have their role clearly defined by a constitution and by-laws agreed upon with the board of education. This appears to be a safe way to avoid problems as specific issues arise. Gwinn found that the highest degree of member satisfaction occurred among committee members and school agents where the procedures of organization and opera- tions included the following: Use of subcommittees; definite terms of office established; use of resource personnel; evaluation of progress; and reports of progress to the public.59 The Community School Council Up to this point the review of literature has dealt with various forms of citizen participation. The following section will deal specificatlly with community school councils as defined in Chapter I. It should be noted that there is a lack of published literature per- taining to community school councils. This portion of the research will primarily review the literature of community school councils in Flint, 59Sam Gwinn, The Role Of the County Advisory Com- mittee in Program Projects, (Unpublished Ph.D. disserta- tion: University of Wisconsin, 1958). 39 Michigan. Flint has pioneered the development of councils with their community education program. In Flint, Michigan, all Of the schools are community schools. These community schools provide programs for all ages before, during, and after regular school hours. Com- munity school councils have been formed in most of them to provide a closer relationship between the school and com- munity. There is a lack of written record concerning the development of Flint's Community School Councils. The community school councils have not been Offi- cially sanctioned by act of the Board of Education, but instead have received sanction by "induction" when the community school concept was adopted by the Board of Education in 1957.6 The first community school council was organized in Potter Community School in 1953. Merrill and Freeman Community Schools developed councils the following year. The original purpose of these groups was to aid the com- munity school director in the planning and use of the gymnasium and school facilities. Most of the membership of these early groups came from the P.T.A., although 60Arden M. Peterson, A Study of Member§§tisfaction, Attitude Perception and Its Relation to Action Programs In Community School Councils In Flint, Michigan, (Unpub- IiSHed Ed.S. dissertation: University of Michigan, 1966), p. 22. 40 other community leaders, businessmen, and parents were asked to join.61 As the need for better communication between the public and school was recognized, the development of councils increased. By 1965, at least thirty-five of the schools had community school councils.62 The Flint Community Schools describe the specific purposes of their school councils as follows: 1. To offer an Opportunity for all people residing, working, or having an interest in the community, to OOOperate in efforts to understand, analyze, and solve community problems. 2. To promote cooperation among organizations and individuals interested in making the community a better place to live. 3. To collect and give to members and other complete and accurate information concerning community needs and the resources available for meeting these needs. 4. To secure democratic action in meeting local needs through existing agencies, organizations, and in- stitutions. 611bid., p. 23. 621bid., p. 23. 41 5. To take all necessary and advisable civic measures to develOp new facilities where and when needed. 6. TO identify potential community leaders and to de- velop their qualities of leadership for community betterment. 7. To maintain and improve mutural understanding be- tween the schools and other integral parts of our community. 8. To work together and to cooperate with neighbor- hood organizations for the promotion of good human relations.63 The Flint Community Schools recommend council mem- bership should be leaders from all walks of life, such as: 1. -Business 2. Church 3. School Related Organizations a. Scouts b. Women's Clubs c. Men's Clubs d. Teenage Club e. Child Study Group f. Homeroom Mothers, etc. 4. Block Organizations Membership would include persons regardless of: 1. Geographic location 2. Sex 3. Age 63 Flint Public Schools, Community School Councils, Mimeograph, 1967. 42 Race Nationality Occupation Social Class Political, Religious and Organizational Affili- ation 9. Years of School--Varying Academic Background 10. Parents and Non-parents 11. New and Old Residents 12. Favorable and Unfavorable Attitudes mflme 0.. 64 Most research indicates that council membership should be representative Of the community groups involved, but a range from 12-20 members is generally indicated. In contrast to specific neighborhood community school councils, some non-urban areas prefer a district- wide council. The Sturgis Community Schools Program propose the following operational model for a district-wide council in a non-urban area: The governing agency of the program would be the community-schools council. Serving on the council would be the superintendent of schools, the city manager, a member of the city staff, a faculty member Of the public schools, a member Of a Recreation Day Camp, a city commission member, a school board member, and two members-at-large from the community. The com- munity schools director would be hired by and held accountable to the community-schools council, but he would be considered a school employee for legal and accounting purposes. 64Ibid., Part II. 65David W. McNeill, "The Community School Council-- A Cooperative Effort," Communipy Education Journal, May, 1971, pp. 48-49. 43 Peterson has develOped an extensive list of pur- poses that community school councils can serve: 1. Assess the felt needs of the school and the com- munity through fact-finding studies, discussions, and surveys. To help evaluate and determine the most pressing needs and help set priorities for action. Encourage informed citizen participation and in- volvement so that they know their opinion is re- cognized. To educate for civic leadership. Serve as a communications channel between the people of the community and the school staff. Coordinate community activities and services. Establishment of a community calendar contributes strongly to this end where educational, religious, residential and economic interests are especially concerned. Unite citizens and organizations into a democratic force which can carry influence with civic author- ities when certain needs arise which might require legal action. However, the council can not serve special interest groups. Provide leadership for community and school cam- paigns to achieve action on immediate needs such as safety, health, recreation, etc. 100 ll. 12. 44 Advise the school principal and community school director on certain matters related to the school and community, such as: a. Scheduling the use of school and public faci- lities. b. DevelOpment of grounds for maximum use. c. Money raising projects and proposals. d. Money spending projects. e. Community development projects. f. Social problems within the community. g. Adult education classes and enrichment activi- ties. Provide leadership to assist the school in some of its special projects and activities, such as carnivals, fairs, open houses, family fun nights, etc. Stimulate public awareness of community and school problems through: Town hall style meetings; radio and press publicity; word of mouth; home discus- sion groups. Provide a common service to all organizations re- presented in its membership. Serve as an action body when necessary. Rally support for school and community issues by serving as a clarifying body. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 45 Serve as a source of information and an educative force for the school community by developing public understanding of pertinent issues. Serve as a sounding board or source of information and advice for the school staff. Identify and enlist the help of potential com- munity leaders in school and community ventures. Provide a place where different viewpoints can be expressed Openly and dissident groups brought to hear each other's views. Serve as a neutral coordinating influence within the larger community where small groups are often at Odds with each other. Serve first, last, and always as a medium through which citizens in the community become informed 66 and forces united, to work for the common good. Totten views the functions of the council in a somewhat different light. The community school functions for the purpose Of integrating the program that goes on in all the various segments of the school. It serves to coordinate the optional program with the required day school program.67 66Peterson, Op. cit., pp. 91-93. 67Fred W. Totten, The Community School (Galien, Michigan: Allied EducationaI CouncIl, 1969), p. 107. 46 Totten also states the following generalizations regarding councils: 1. It is not uncommon for the building principal to be council chairman. 2. Councils should meet as often as necessary to do the job. 3. Council decisions should be made on a basis of consensus. 4. The community school council is one of the most important organizations in the early development of the community school program and should be ini- tiated early in program deve10pment.68 Most councils tend to favor as simple an organiza- tional structure as possible. The structure and organi- zation are usually determined by the council. Some councils establish a constitution and by-laws (see Appendix A). Others develop an agreement with all of the groups involved (see Appendix B). Both methods provide specific guidelines for council organization and Opera- tion. The Flint Schools, have gathered, largely through the efforts of principals and community school directors some "do's" and "don'ts" regarding the Opperation of a community council. 681bid., pp. 107-108. Do's 47 Activities planned and initiated within the coun- cil to which members make a personal commitment to carry them out will contribute to the cohesive- ness of a council. Action programs which have early identifiable results will be preferred by members over non- action maintenance type activities. Participation of council members in programs of action will be greater than for programs of the passive non-involvement type. Leadership can be expected to show itself more quickly where a council has varied activities which include action programs. Council membership should go beyond the confines of organizations using the schools. Community businessmen, public Officials and other influen- tial Citizens should be considered for membership. Teenage representatives should be included in the council membership. Council meetings should be informal, steering away from parliamentary procedure if possible. When there are influential persons on the council, participation of members is apt to be greater. 48 9. Council members like to perceive themselves as be- longing to a group which is accomplishing something for their school community. Don'ts l. Councils which are organized as sounding boards and legitimizers and do not include action pro- grams will have poorer involvement on the part of their members. 2. Councils which limit their activities to discus- sion and making recommendations will have members who are not satisfied and will eventually lose interest.69 Councils have made varying contributions to the community education program in local school districts. The degree and type of contribution made by councils appears to be related to the organizational structure of the council. As a result of a survey conducted in Flint, Michi- gan in 1966, involving forty-three community school councils, Peterson determined that the contributions of councils can be divided into the following four types of activities. These activities include: 69Flint Public Schools, Community School Councils, Mimeograph, 1966. 49 Activities related directly to the functioning of the school Survey school and community education needs. Assist in planning programs. Help develOp school site plans. Support youth enrichment and scout activities financially. Conduct public meetings on millage concerns. Organize campaign to "get out the vote." Activities related to 1 community and civic affairs 1. Conduct discussion meetings on public issues in- cluding: pollution vandalism and juvenile delinquency freeway relocation urban renewal millage issues community and school relations poverty programs rezoning pornographic literature glue sniffing and drugs P-D‘LQ H10 040 US” U. o 2. Carry resolution of Community Council to city com- mission. 3. Support and promote Adult Education classes. 4. Conduct breakfast or luncheon meetings to bring community, school and civic leaders together. Money Raising Activities Ice cream social 50 Community School carnival Community School fair Community talent show Cookie and candy sales Pancake suppers Clothing and paper drives WorkshOp breakfast Benevolent activities Secure clothing for needy family Provide food baskets for needy Establish a scholarship fund Paint house for crippled widow70 Community school councils across the state and nation have served many functions with a wide diversity of organizational patterns. In Michigan, all school dis- tricts funded by the state in accordance with the provi- sions of Act NO. 84, P.A. 1970 for "Grants to School Districts for Community School Programs" are required to utilize some system or form Of citizens' advisory coun- cil. Local school districts are generally allowed a maximum amount of latitude in establishing and Operating these advisory groups. 70Peterson, op. cit., pp. 77-79. 51 In other states, Florida, Oregon, Utah, and Minne- sota, that have also passed legislation providing for community education programs, similar requirements have been included. Summary An attempt has been made in this chapter to place the deve10pment of community school councils in histori- cal perspective. The development Of community school councils did not occur until the Twentieth Century. The major portion of this deve10pment has taken place in the last decade. Community school councils have had many functions. These functions appear to be determined by the community served by the council. Initially, councils were estab- lished to aid in planning the use of school facilities. From this beginning, the functions of councils have be- come as varied as the communities they serve. The characteristics of councils have varied as much as the functions of a council. Council membership, size, number of meetings and other characteristics appear to be related to the communities served by the councils. The functions and characteristics of councils identified in reviewing the literature receive further consideration in the recommendations outlined in Chapter V. 52 The review of the literature plays a significant role in the deve10pment of the recommendations in Chapter V. Council size, characteristics, and functions that have been identified and discussed in this chapter have an impact on the recommendations in Chapter V. CHAPTER III PLANNING AND CONDUCTING THE STUDY Indeed, I cannot conceive that a nation can live and prosper without a powerful centralization of government. But, I am of the Opinion that a centrali- zed administration is fit only to enervate the nations in which it exists, by incessantly diminishing their local Spirit. Although such an administration can bring together at a given moment, on a given point, all the disposable resources of a people, it injures the renewal of those resources. It may ensure a vic- tory in the hour of strife, but it gradually relaxes the sinews of strength. It may help admirable the transient greatness of a man, but not the furable prosperity of a nation. --Alexis de Tocqueville Introduction The research design, methodology, and procedures used to conduct this study are described in this chapter. Included are: the identification and description of the samples, statement of hypotheses, a discussion of the in- strument used, and a description of the kinds of data collected. The primary purpose of this study was to establish guidelines for the implementation and operation Of com- munity school councils. Other purposes include the iden- tification of the functions and characteristics of councils. 53 54 In order to achieve these purposes, questions re- lated to the functions and characteristics of councils were identified in a questionnaire. The questionnaire was sent to school superintendents, community school directors, elementary principals, and lay citizens. As a result of the perceived differences Of these four groups some issues regarding council functions and char- acteristics were identified. It was assumed that the role of community school councils would be perceived differently by the various reference groups. Perceived conflict scores were computed and tested for significance with reference to differences among the respondent groups. The data presented relate directly to issue iden- tification by examining the functions and characteristics of councils. These identified issues, the review of the literature, as well as areas of agreement as indicated by the results of the questionnaire, all play a signifi- cant role in the establishment of the guidelines and recommendations presented in Chapter V. As indicated in Chapter I, this study is a descrip- tive survey. Good describes a descriptive survey as follows: Descriptive studies may include present facts or current conditions concerning the nature of a group Of persons. . .and may involve the procedures of in- duction, analysis, classification, enumeration or measurement. The purposes of the descriptive—survey investigations may be: 1) To secure evidence concern- ing the existing situation or current conditions, 2) 55 To identify standards or norms which to compare pre- sent conditions in order to plan the next step. According to Van Dalen: Descriptive studies that obtain accurate facts about existing conditions or detect significant re- lationships between current phenomena and interpret the meaning of the data, provide educators with practical and immediately useful information. Factual information about intelligent plans about future courses of action helps them interpret educational problems more effectively to the public. Pertinent data regarding the present science may focus atteption upon needs that otherwise would remain unnoticed. Selection of the Samples The samples were selected at random from school districts in Michigan that received Community Education funding from the state during 1970-1971. The samples were stratified to the extent that Detroit was omitted from the random sampling procedure. The final samples were selected from 127 school districts rather than from the 128 that were funded.3 lCarter V. Good, Introduction to Educational Re- search, (New York: Appleton-Century-CroftS), 1963, p. 224. 2Van Dalen, Deobald B., Understanding Educational Research, (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1962), pp. 3This list of school districts was provided by General Education Services Area of the Michigan Depart- ment of Education. 56 Forty school districts were selected at random from this group. The superintendent of schools and co- ordinator of community education were identified as a result of the original sample drawing of forty schools. These two groups comprise eighty out of the one hundred- sixty persons sampled. There is only one superintendent and one coordinator of community education in each dis-» trict.’. An elementary principal was selected at random from the elementary schools listed in each of the forty districts. Elementary schools were chosen for the sample because they are likely to serve the smallest unit in a school system. The citizens sampled were the presidents of the Parent-Teacher organizations, in the elementary schools mentioned above. Instrumentation The instrument used in this study was tested in Flint, Michigan, at the Mott Leadership Program. It was tested on a group of school administrators pursuing ad- vanced degrees in the field of community education. The questionnaire was developed with the aid of school administrators, community educators, consultants, and professors from the following agencies: Michigan State University-Research Staff, Mott Program-Flint Board 57 of Education, Michigan Department of Education-General Education Services Area, and the Mott Leadership Program- C. S. Mott Foundation, Flint, Michigan. The instrument was developed to determine what issues were relevant to community school councils. Nine- teen Of the items dealt with council functions, and six- teen dealt with council characteristics (Table 3.1). Table 3.1. Division of questionnaire items into func- tions and characteristics. Council Functions Council Characteristics 7. Community school coun- cils should not have a voice in deciding school affairs. 9. Councils should not take sides on controversiaI sub- jects. 10. Councils should have policy making authority. 11. Councils should meet on a regular basis with the board of education 12. Councils should pep solicit the support Of com- munity agencies, business organizations, and organize labor. 13. Council meetings should be public, with adequate prior publicity concerning time, place, date, and agenda. 14. A council should sponsor town-hall type meetings to discuss public issues. 1. Teachers should be in- cluded in the council member- ship. 2. Principals should not be included in the counciI mem- bership. 3. Students should be included in the council membership. 4. PeOple with strong convic- tions should be included in the council membership. 5. Citizens (not just teachers or principals) should be in- cluded as council Officers. 6. Pe0ple from all income levels should not be included in the council membership. 8. Each building in the dis- trict should have a council. l9. Councils should encourage special interest groups within the community to have repre- sentation on a council. 58 Table 3.1 Continued. Council Functions 15. A council should have responsibility, within the limits set by the board of education,-for program Istaffing,_budget, and im- ' plementation. 16. A council should pro- mote democratic action in meeting local needs through existing agencies, organiza- tions, and institutions. 17. A council should take all necessary and advisable civic measures to develop new facilities, where and when needed. 18. Councils should not stimulate consideration for action by local agencies. 21. This representative council should be primarily concerned with the sharing Of ideas and problems. 22. The representative council should meet regu- larly with the board Of education 23. A primary concern of the council should be to provide for better under- standing between the school and the community. 30. A school administrator (superintendent, principal, or community school director) should have the right to veto council decisions. 31. Councils should active- ly support candidates for the board of education. Council Characteristics 4 20. If councils exist in all elementary attendance areas, a representative district council should be formed with representation from the neigh- borhood councils. 24. Council membership should reflect the racial composition of the area served. 25. Council members should be appointed by the school administration. 26. Council members should be elected by the community they serve. 27. Each organized group which uses school facilities should not be represented on the coufiEIl. 28. The community school director should not be a voting member of the council. 29. The school maintenance staff should be represented on the council. 34. Non-parents should not serve on community schoo councils. 59 Table 3.1. Continued. CouncilFunctions Council Characteristics 32. A community school council is a viable method for involving citizens in the school-community rela- tionship. 33. Formally organized community school councils should be a part of a com- prehensive community edu- cation program. The questionnaire was designed to elicit expressed perceptions of the functions and characteristics that community school councils should have in community educa- tion programs. Those surveyed were asked to respond on a Likert Scale (strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, strongly agree) by circling that response which most ap- proximated how they felt concerning that item. Testable Hypothesis In order to ascertain whether there is a signifi- cant difference in the attitudes of school superinten- dents, elementary principals, community school directors, and citizens regarding the functions and characteristics 60 of community school councils, it was necessary to estab- lish one primary hypothesis: H 0 There are no differences among the percep- tions of school superintendents, elementary principals, community school directors, and lay citizens concerning the functions and characteristics of community school councils. Hypotheses for Scheffé Post-Hoc Comparisons- There are no differences between the percep- tions of school superintendents and community school directors concerning the functions and characteristics of community school councils. There are no differences between the percep- tions of school superintendents and lay citizens concerning the functions and char- acteristics of community school councils. There are no differences between the percep- tions of school superintendents and elementary principals concerning the functions and char- acteristics of community school councils. There are no differences between the percep- tions of elementary principals and community school directors concerning the functions and characteristics of community school councils. 61 H05: There are no differences between the percep- tions of community school directors and lay citizens concerning the functions and char- acteristics of community school councils. H06: There are no differences between the percep- tions of lay citizens and elementary princi— pals concerning the functions and characteristics of community school councils. Treatment of Data In order to determine if there was a significant difference among the means Of the four groups listed above, a one-way analysis of variance technique was used. A raw score of from 1 to 5 was entered on a Data Coding Form for each item on the questionnaire. The data were then punched onto I.B.M. data processing cards, which were in turn processed by M.S.U. CDC 3600 computer, using the UNEQI Program. The level of significance was set at the .05 level. The Scheffé post-hoc comparisons technique was used on those items that were found to have significant differences. An alpha level of .05 was also set for the post-hoc comparisons. The two statistical techniques stated above enable the researcher to identify significant differences (issues) among, as well as between the four groups 62 surveyed. These differences are given careful consider- ation in Chapters IV and V. The final item on the questionnaire was an open- ended question and is reported in Chapter IV in narrative form. Percentage Of Questionnaires-Returned. Of the public school superintendents.surveyed, 29 out of 40 or 73% responded to the questionnaire. Of the community school directors surveyed 32 out of 40, or 80% responded to the questionnaire. Of the parent-teacher organization presidents that were surveyed 24 out of 40 or 60% responded to the questionnaire. Of the elementary school principals that were surveyed 33 out of 40 or 83% responded to the question- naire. Summary Forty school superintendents, elementary princi- pals, community school directors, and citizens for a total of 160 were surveyed by questionnaire. One hundred and eighteen Of the one hundred and sixty responded form- ing the experimental sample. The instrument was developed with the aid of educational administrators, community educators, and the 63 research department at Michigan State University. It was designed to determine the functions and characteristics of community school councils should have in community education. The purpose of the questionnaire was to determine what issues are relevant to community school councils. These issues are divided into the general areas of func- tions and characteristics. A hypothesis was formed and was tested by using the UNEQI routine, a one-way analysis of variance techni- que with an alpha level of .05. Post-hoc comparisons employing the Scheffé technique were then analyzed in order to determine differences between groups. An alpha level of .05 was also set for the post-hoc comparisons and six hypotheses were tested. CHAPTER IV REPORTING AND ANALYZING THE DATA Unless democratic habits of thought and action are part of the fiber Of people, political democracy is insecure. --John Dewey Introduction This chapter deals primarily with the data ob- tained by questionnaire. The questions used on the questionnaire relate to the functions and characteristics of community school councils. These were developed in an attempt to identify some differences or issues among and between the four groups surveyed. These issues, as well as those items where agree- ment occurred are identified and reported in this chapter. Both the issues, and the areas of agreement, have a direct influence on the recommendations outlined in Chapter V. Hypothesis One hypothesis was prepared in an attempt to deter- mine the differences in mean scores among school superin- tendents, community school directors, citizens and elementary principals, regarding the functions and 64 65 characteristics of community school councils. It was de- cided to run an analysis of the differences among the groups on a per item basis. A per question One-Way Analysis of Variance, with the level of significance set at .05, was the statistical technique used to test the hypothesis. ' Ho: There are no differences among the percepb tions Of school superintendents, elementary principals, community school directors, and lay citizens concerning the functions and characteristics of community school councils. As was stated above the analysis of the responses to the questionnaire were on a per item basis. On this basis it can be expected that about two of the thirty— four items analyzed would be statistically significant if each is tested at the .05 level, even if no differ- ences existed among groups. Analysis produced fifteen significant items at the .05 level giving evidence that there are differences among the groups. The null hypo- thesis was subsequently rejected. Further analysis of those items found to be sig- nificant was accomplished through use of the Scheffé post-hoc comparison technique. Scheffé post-hoc compari- sons enable the researcher tO determine which group differences are responsible for the significant F- tests and to estimate the magnitude of those differences. 66 Table 4.2 is a summary of results for all fifteen items. Of the fifteen items found to reflect significant differences among the groups it is interesting to note that approximately one-half (8) are items dealing with council functions, and seven are related to council char- acteristics. Table 4.1 is a tabulation Of those items, mean scores, range of scores, and whether the item re- lates to a function or characteristic of a council. Both the (15) items that indicate significant differences or identify issues, and those (19) items listed in Table 4.1 are given consideration in the recom- mendations of Chapter V. Areas of Agreement Between Groups As will be pointed out in the Scheffé post—hoc comparisons, none of the six hypotheses established to determine significance between the groups were rejected. A summary of the analysis of the responses to the question- naire includes a one-way analysis of variance for all items. Aslo designated are all those items where agree- ment exists between groups on the Scheffé post-hoc com- parisons (Table 4.3) 67 Table 4.1. Summary of results of items of agreement among all groups for all nineteen items. Characteristic Item Mean Range or Function 1. Teachers should be included 4 178 4.077 C in the council membership. ' 4.120 5. Citizens, (not just teachers or 4 393 principals) should be included 4.500 ' C . . 4.625 as counCil officers. 6. People from all income levels 1 343 should not be included in the 1.441 1 708 C council membership.* ' 9. Councils should not take sides 2 644 2.379 F on controversial subjects.‘ ' 2.792 11. Councils should meet on a regu- 3 186 lar basis with the board of 3.254 ' F . 3.424 education. 13. Council meetings should be public, with adequate prior publicity con- 4 042 4.000 F cerning time, place, date, and ' 4.083 agenda. 14. A council should sponsor town- 3 292 hall type meetings to discuss 3.475 3 620 F public issues. ' 15. A council should have responsi- bility, within the limits set by 2 724 the board of education, for pro- 2.881 3.061 F gram staffing, budget, and im- ' plementation. 16. A council should promote demo- cratic action in meeting local 3.708 needs through existing agencies, 3‘890 4.093 F organizations and institutions. 17. A council should take all neces- sary and advisable civic measures 3 958 3.843 F to develop new facilities where ' 4.108 and when needed. 18. Councils should ESE stimulate 2 156 consideration for action by 2.229 2'242 F . * . local agenc1es. 20. If councils exist in all elemen- tary attendance areas, a repre- 3 724 sentative district council should 3.831 4'031 C be formed with representation ' from the neighborhood councils. 22. The representative council should 3 063 meet regularly with the board of 3.237 ‘ F . 3.542 education. 23. A primary concern of the council should be to provide for better 4 288 4.212 F understanding between the school ' 4.333 and the community. 24. Council membership should reflect 3 793 the racial composition of the 4.000 4'125 C area served. ' 25. Council members should be appointed 2 241 2.125 C by the school administration. ‘ 2.272 27. Each organized group which uses 2 542 school facilities should not be 2.642 2'759 C represented on the counciI.I ' 30. A school administrator (super- intendent, principal, or community 2 703 2.500 F school director) should have the ’ 2.813 right to veto council decisions. 32. 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N Nm mam. 0 mm5.a 0N vmv. 05m. 0N ppm. wav. mm ~36... u HNnboN @N 0 w 0 v ad .Q.m .maflocooo Hoonom auflcse IEOO so O>Hmm mum new: 2 Oasocm mucmummlcoz .wm .Eeumoum :Owumospm .Q.m MHHGOEEOO O>wmsmn IOHQEOO M NO puma m new: on Oasoom mawucsoo Hooaom mungEEOO z Omuwcmmuo MHHOEHOE .mm .manmsowumHOH auflcsEEOOIHoocOm 0:» OH mcmufluwo new: mca>ao>cw MOM Oonume ancfl> c we aflossoo .Q.m z Hoocom muacseeoo « .mm l!I.va.tl-..-4ad-.. in. I-I:..v.l repaid 0H.v.— 4.-r.v..rtua-/ 4.2pd.n.. .U .H 0.57.504) mu xfl A. n... 7?. NJ “dd... MOHHJCKCT THAUCDOU o NHHDHWHU .Iflm 76 Areas of Difference Between Groups Scheffé post-hoc comparisons were used subsequent to the null hypothesis (Ho) being rejected in order to establish where the differences existed and between which groups. Six hypotheses, each involving the comparison of two groups, were formulated and tested for each of the fifteen items that were found to be significant in the prior rejection of the null hypothesis. For each group comparison, e.g., School Superintendents and Community School Directors, the Scheffé comparisons were tabulated for the fifteen items and inspected to determine whether differences on the individual confidence intervals indi- cated overall differences between the two groups. An arbitrary criterion of approximately 50 per cent or eight statistically significant confidence intervals for the fifteen items was set to indicate differences between the two groups. H01: There are no differences between the school superintendents and community school direc- tors concerning the functions and character- istics of community school councils. Analysis of the post-hoc comparisons between these two groups indicated that a significant difference at the .05 level exists between School Superintendents and Com- munity School Directors on items eight, twenty-nine, and thirty-three, because only these three were found to be 77 significant the null hypothesis (HO) was not rejected (Table 4.4). All three of these questions are more closely re- lated to council characteristics than function. H02: There are no differences between the percep- tions of school superintendents and lay citizens concerning the functions and char- acteristics of community school councils. Analysis of the post-hoc comparisons between these two groups showed that a significant difference at the .05 level exists between school superintendents and citizens on items three, four, ten, thirty-one, and thirty-four. Even five significant items was not considered sufficient and the null hypothesis (H02) was not rejected (Table 4.5). Of these five significant items, three (items 3, 4, and 34) are related to council characteristics, and two (items 10 and 31) deal with the functions of a council. H03: There are no differences between the percep- tions of school superintendents and elementary principals concerning the functions and char- acteristics of community school councils. Analysis of post-hoc comparisons between the two groups showed that a significant difference exists at the .05 level between school superintendents and elementary principals on none of the items and on this basis the null hypothesis (H03) was not rejected (Table 4.6). 78 Table 4.4. Summary of results of post-hoc comparisons between school superin- tendents (1) and community school directors (2) for all 15 items. Item X1 X2 Inter. 2. Principals should not be included in 2.450 1.906 .544 + .823 the council membership. 3. Students should be included in the 3 862 4 219 _ 357 736 council membership. ' ' ° ' 4. People with strong convictions should be included in the council membership. 4°l38 3'781 '357 '632 7. Community school councils should not. 2.586 2.844 -.258 .861 have a VOice in deCiding school affairs. 8. Each building 12 the district should 3.103 2.375 .728 .714 have a counCil. 10. Councils should have policy-making _ authority. 1.759 2.125 .336 .796 12. Councils should not solicit the support of the community agencies, business 2.552 1.875 .677 .806 organizations, and organized labor. l9. Councils should encourage special interest groups within the community 3.931 3.969 -.038 .611 to have representation on a council. 21. This representative council should be primarily concerned with the sharing 3.793 4.000 -.207 .521 of ideas and problems. 26. Council members should be elected by the community they serve. 3'276 3‘031 .245 “786 28. The community school director should _ not be a voting member of the council. 3'103 3'375 '272 ’726 29. The school maintenance staff should be represented on the council.* 3'172 3'969 -'797 '640 31. Councils should actively support candi- dates for the board of education. 2'621 2°563 ‘058 ‘665 33. Formally organized community school councils should be a part of a compre- 4.379 3.844 .535 .531 hensive community education program.* 34. Non-parents should not serve on com— 1 793 1.844 _ 051 .653 munity school counCils. *Significant at the .05 level when Scheffé method is used for paired comparisons over all four groups. 79 Table 4.5. Summary of results of post-hoc comparisons between school superin- tendents (l) and citizens (3) for all fifteen items. Item X1 X2 Conf. Inter. 2. Principals should not be included in the council membership. 2.450 1.667 .783 + .883 3. Students should be included in the 3.862 2.792 1 070 + .791 council membership.* 4. People with strong convictions should 4.138 3.333 .805 + .679 be included in the counCil membership.* 7. Community school councils should not have a voice in deciding school affairs. 2'586 1'833 ’753 + '925 8. figs: :uééfiggglin the district should 3.103 3.833 _ 730 + .767 10. ngggiiiyshould have policy-making 1 759 2.750 _ 991 + .854 12. Councils should not solicit the support of community agenCies, business organi- 2.552 2.583 -.031 + .865 zations, and organized labor. 19. Councils should encourage special inter- est groups within the community to have 3.931 4.125 -.194 + .656 representation on a council. 21. This representative council should be primarily concerned with the sharing 3.793 4.333 -.540 + .560 of ideas and problems. 26. Council members should be elected by the community they serve. 3.776 3.833 .557 + .844 28. The community school director should L not be a voting member of the council. 3'103 2'333 '770 " '780 29. The school maintenance staff should be represented on the council. 3°l72 3'792 -'620 + '688 31. Councils should actively support candi- _ dates for the board of education.* 2'621 3'625 1'004 + '714 33. Formally organized community school councils should be a part of a compre- 4.379 3.917 .462 + .571 hensive community education program. 34. Non-parents should not serve on 1 793 2.750 _ 957 + .701 community school councils.* *Significant at the .05 level when Scheffé method is used for paired comparisons over all four groups. 80 Table 4.6. Summary of results of post-hoe comparisons between school superin- tendents (l) and elementary principals (4) for all fifteen items. Item X1 X4 Conf. Inter. 2. Principals should not be included _ in the council membership. 2'450 2'485 .035 '816 3. Students should be included in the 3.862 4.121 _ 259 .731 counCil membership. 4. People with strong convictions should be included in the council membership. 4'138 3'848 '290 '62? 7. Community school councils should not have a voice in deciding school affairs. 2'586 2‘545 '041 '855 8. Each building in the district should have a council. 3.103 2.727 .376 .709 10. Councils should have policy-making _ authority. 1.759 2.455 .696 .789 12. Councils should not solicit the support of community agenCies, business organi- 2.552 2.727 -.l75 .800 zations, and organized labor. l9. Councils should encourage special interest groups within the community 3.931 3.424 .507 .606 to have representation on a council. 21. This representative council should be primarily concerned with the sharing 3.793 3.758 .035 .517 of ideas and problems. 26. Council members should be elected by the community they serve. 3°276 3°577 '-301 ~780 28. The community school director should 3 not be a voting member of the council. '103 2'788 '315 ~721 29. The school maintenance staff should be represented on the council. 3’172 3'485 ”'313 -635 3l. Councils should actively support candidates for the board of education. 2'621 2'515 ‘106 “660 33. Formally organized community school councils should be a part of a compre- 4.377 3.879 .500 .527 hensive community education program. 34. Non- arents should not serve on P 1.793 2.212 -.419 .647 community school councils. 81 H04: There are no differences between the percep- tions of elementary principals and community school directors concerning the functions and characteristics of community school councils. Analysis of the post-hoc comparisons between the elementary principals and community school directors showed that a difference at the .05 level of significance exists only on item twelve and consequently the null hypo- thesis (HO4) was not rejected (Table 4.7). Item twelve deals with a function of a council. H05: There are no differences between the percep- tions of community school directors and citizens concerning the functions and char— acteristics of community school councils. Analysis of the post-hoc comparisons between the community school directors and citizens showed that a difference at the .05 level exists on items three, seven, eight, twenty-eight, thirty-one, and thirty-four. As was noted above, 50 per cent was set as a criterion for rejec- tion and consequently the null hypothesis (H05) was not rejected (Table 4.8). Of these six significant items, four (items 3, 8, 28, and 34) are related to the characteristics of a coun- cil, and two (items 7 and 31) deal with council functions. 82 Table 4.7. Summary of results of post-hoe comparisons between community school directors (2) and elementary principals (4) for all fifteen items. Item X2 x4 Conf. Inter. 2. Principals should not be included in _ the council membership. 1'906 2°485 ’579 + '794 3. Students should be included in the council membership. 4.219 4.121 .098 + .711 4. People with strong convictions should _ be included in the council membership. 3'781 3'848 '067 + '610 7. Community school councils should not have a voice in deciding school affairs. 2'844 2°545 '299 + '831 8. Each building in the district should 2 375 2 727 _ 352 + 690 have a council. ° ° ° ° 10. Councils should have policy-making 2 125 2 455 _ 330 + 768 authority. ° ° ° ' 12. Councils should not solicit the support of community agencies, business organiza- 1.875 2.727 -.852 + .778 ations, and organized labor.* l9. Councils should encourage special inter- est groups within the community to have 3.969 3.424 .545 + .589 representation on a council. 21. This representative council should be primarily concerned with the sharing 4.000 3.758 .242 + .503 of ideas and problems. 26. Council members should be elected by _ the community they serve. 3.031 3.577 .546 + .759 28. The community school director should not be a voting member of the council. 3’375 2°788 '587 + '701 29. The school maintenance staff should be represented on the council. 3'969 3’485 '484 + '618 31. Councils should actively support candi- dates for the board of education. 2'563 2'515 .048 + '642 33. Formally organized community school councils should be a part of a compre- 3.844 3.879 -.035 + .513 hensive community education program. 34. Non-parents should not serve on community 1 844 2 212 _ 368 + 630 school councils. *Significant at the .05 level when Scheffé method is used for paired comparisons over all four groups. 83 Table 4.8. Summary of results of post-hoe comparisons between community school directors (2) and citizens (3) for all fifteen items. Item x2 x3 Conf. Inter. 2. Principals should not be included in the council m lerEHIp. 1.906 1.667 .239 + .864 3. Students should be included in the council membership.* 4.219 2.792 1.427 + .774 4. People with strong convictions should be included in the council membership. 3'781 3'333 '448 + '664 7. Community school councils should not have a voice in deciding school affairs.* 2'844 1'833 1'011 + ’905 8. Each building in the district should _ have a council.* 2.375 3.833 1.458 + .756 10. Councils should have policy-making _ authority. 2.125 2.750 .625 + .834 12. Councils should not solicit the sup- port of community agencies, business 1.875 2.583 -.708 + .847 organizations, and organized labor. 19. Councils should encourage special in- terest groups within the community to 3.969 4.125 -.156 + .642 have representation on a council. 21. This representative council should be primarily concerned with the sharing 4.000 4.333 -.333 + .548 of ideas and problems. 26. Council members should be elected by the community they serve. 3.031 3.833 -.802 + .826 28. The community school director should not be a voting member of the council.* 3'375 2°333 1'042 + '763 29. The school maintenance staff should be represented on the council. 3'969 3'792 '177 + '673 31. Councils should actively support candi- _ dates for the board of education.* 2’563 3’625 1‘062 + '696 33. Formally organized community school councils should be a part of a compre- 3.844 3.917 -.073 + .558 hensive community education program. 35. Non-parents should not serve on com- 1.844 2.750 -.906 + .686 munity school councils.* *Significant at the .05 level when Scheffé method is used for paired comparisons over all four groups. 84 H06: There are no differences between the percep- tions of citizens and elementary principals Concerning the functions and characteristics of community school councils. Analysis of the post-hoc comparisons between the citizens and elementary principals showed that a difference E” at the .05 level exists on items three, eight, nineteen, i twenty-one, and thirty-one. This was again below the : criterion set for rejection and consequently the null hypothesis (H06) was not rejected (Table 4.9). [w- Items three, eight, and nineteen deal with a coun— cil's characteristics. Items twenty-one and thirty-one relate to council functions. Discussion of Qpen-Ended Question Included in the questionnaire was an open-ended question. The question (Number 35) is as follows: What do you feel is the major advantage, and/or disadvantage of having a community school council? It should be noted that some respondents indicated more than one advantage and/or disadvantage and others did not respond on this item. School‘Superintendents Of the twenty-nine school superintendents that re- turned the questionnaire, twelve or 41% indicated that the major advantage of a council is involvement of the community. 85 Table 4.9. Summary of results of post-hoc comparisons between citizens (3) and elementary principals (4) for all fifteen items. Item X3 X4 Conf. Inter. 2. Principals should not be included in _ the council membership. 1.667 2.485 .818 + .858 3. Students should be included in the council membership.* 2.792 4.121 1.329 + .768 4. PeOple with strong convictions should _ be included in the council membership. 3'333 3'848 '515 + '659 7. Community school councils should not _ have a voice in deciding school affairs. 1'833 2'545 '712 + '898 8. Each building in the district should have a council.* 3.833 2.727 1.106 + .745 10. Councils should have policy-making authority. 2.750 2.455 .295 + .830 12. Councils should not solicit the sup- port of community agencies, business 2.583 2.727 -.144 + .840 organizations, and organized labor. l9. Councils should encourage special in- terest groups within the community to 4.125 3.424 .701 + .637 have representation on a council.* 21. This representative council should be primarily concerned with the sharing 4.333 3.758 .575 + .544 of ideas and problems.* 26. Council members should be elected by the community they serve. 3.833 3.577 .256 + .820 28. The community school director should _ not be a voting member of the council. 2°333 2°788 '455 + '757 29. The school maintenance staff should be represented on the council. 3'792 3'485 ‘307 + ’668 31. Councils should actively support can- didates for the board of education.* 3'625 2'515 1.110 + '693 33. Formally organized community school councils should be a part of a compre- 3.917 3.879 .038 + .554 hensive community education program. 34. Non-parents should not serve on com- 2.750 2.212 .538 + .680 munity school councils. *Significant at the .05 level when Scheffé method is used comparisons over all four groups. for paired 86 They indicated that it provides an excellent source of feedback and a vehicle for public relations. The second most perceived advantage, seven out of twenty-nine or 25% indicated that the council provides administrators with an assessment of community needs. Twenty-five per cent of the superintendents indi- '7 '4hJ-L‘ cated that the primary disadvantage of a council is that it diffuses the power of the legally elected body, namely, the board of education. It was indicated that only the board of education can be held accountable to the public. Some superintendents felt that councils are threatening to school administrators. Others felt that the council could be used by some members as a platform for their own selfish interests. Community School Directors Fifteen of thirty-two community school directors or 47% that responded to question thirty-five, indicated that the major advantage of councils was the communica- tion of community needs, the exchange of ideas, and feed- back concerning the existing program. The council should be used as a vehicle for communication. Nine of thirty-two respondents or 28% indicated that a second advantage of the council would be in develop- ing a comprehensive community education program. 87 Other respondents indicated that the council could be used as a source of dissemination of information and also as a source of innovation. There were no distinct disadvantages indicated by community school directors. Three out of thirty-two or 13% indicated that the major disadvantage is the conflict between council role and the role of the board of educa- tion. Other individual disadvantages indicated were: Too time consuming Formal council not necessary Can be unwieldly Interfere with administrative roles §_it_iz_ea§. Six of twenty-four citizens that responded or 25% indicated that the primary advantage of a council is that it provides a means for community needs to be heard. Twenty-five per cent of the citizens that responded felt that improved communication was the primary advantage of a council. Other advantages indicated were that councils create a better understanding between the school and com- munity. One respondent indicated that councils also allowed the public an opportunity to see how public funds were spent. 88 Elementary Principals Of thirty—three elementary principals that re- sponded, twelve or 36% indicated that the primary advantage of councils is that they provide avenues of communication and community involvement. Twelve per cent of the principals felt that the If primary advantage of councils is for need assessment and program initiation. Other respondents felt that councils are vital to the success of inner city community education programs and if that councils have unlimited potential. The primary disadvantage of councils as indicated by 12% of the principals is the ambiguous role that they have. It was felt by this group of respondents that the council role should be more clearly defined. Other principals felt that councils could be a "Hatchet group,‘ should only be formed on an ad hoc basis, and are a disadvantage in small school systems. None of these respondents elaborated on these statements. Summary One overall major null hypothesis was formulated and tested by a one-way analysis of variance technique. The null hypothesis was tested at the .05 level of signi- ficance in order to determine differences among groups and was subsequently rejected. Upon rejection of the null 89 hypothesis, the Scheffé post-hoc comparison technique was used in order to determine between which groups the dif- ference existed. Six null hypotheses for the Scheffé post-hoc com- parisons were formulated and tested at the .05 level of significance. Each hypothesis involved the comparison of two groups and was tested for each of the fifteen items that were found to beflsignificant in the prior rejection of the null hypothesis. A criterion of approximately 50 per cent or eight significant confidence intervals for the fifteen items was set. N233 of the six null hypotheses were rejected on this basis. Significant differences or issues are identifiable in both council characteristics and council functions. One open-ended question was analyzed. It was found that school superintendents felt that councils pro- vide for community involvement, a source of feed—back, and a vehicle for public relations as the major advantages. School superintendents felt that the major disadvantage of councils was the diffusion of authority that belongs to the board of education. Community school directors felt that councils pro- vide a vehicle for expressing community needs and provide for the exchange of ideas. They felt the major disadvan- tage would be a role conflict between the council and the board of education. 90 Citizens felt that councils were avenues to express community needs and that communication is improved between the school and community. There were no disadvantages indicated. Elementary principals felt that the primary advan- tage of councils is to provide an avenue for communication and community involvement. They felt that role ambiguity is the primary disadvantage of councils. It should be noted that where there are no signi- ficant differences identified, both among and between groups, a general agreement appears to exist for those items. These are observable in both council functions and characteristics as non-significant items. CHAPTER V REFLECTIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUMMARY Lay participation in community education is akin to eating spinach, many administrators verbalize its merits, but few really utilize it constructively. --George Woons Introduction This chapter includes: reflections upon the re- sults of the survey, recommendations regarding community school councils, and a summary of the contents of this research. Although the arbitrary 50 per cent rejection criterion established in Chapter IV is statistically valid, it is the writer's intent to make reflections based on the data collected. It was the purpose of this study to determine the functions and characteristics community school councils should have in community education programs, explore the relationship councils have to community school programs, identify some issues as perceived by the four groups sur- veyed, and recommend guidelines for the establishment of community school councils. 91 92 The review of the literature placed the develop- ment of community school councils in historical perspec- tive. The functions and characteristics of councils as they currently exist were identified. It is evident that there is a lack of published literature concerning com- munity school councils. However, the literature that does exist indicates that the councils vary in functions and characteristics just as communities differ. A sample of one hundred and sixty administrators and lay citizens was surveyed by questionnaire. They in- cluded forty school superintendents, elementary principals, community school directors, and citizens. One hundred and eighteen of the one hundred and sixty responded forming the experimental sample. A hypothesis was formed and tested by means of the one-way analysis of variance technique with an alpah level of .05. This primary hypothesis was used to identify significant differences or issues among the four respondent groups. Fifteen items were determined to be significant among the groups. Post-hoc comparisons employing the Scheffé techni- que were then done in order to determine the significant differences between groups at the alpha level of .05. Six hypothesis were established and tested to determine significance between the groups. 93 It was determined that there were significant dif- ferences among the groups when tested at the .05 level of significance. The null hypothesis was therefore rejected. Post-hoe comparisons indicated that there were no signifi- cant differences between the groups when a fifty per cent criterion for reject was employed. A further analysis of the data indicated where the differences were significant between groups even though they were below the fifty per cent rejection level. Agreement was also indicated among and between groups. These areas of agreement included items dealing with both the functions and characteristics of councils. Specific recommendations are made in Chapter V for the establishment and Operation of community school councils. Reflections on the Data It was determined in Chapter IV that there are significant differences among the four groups surveyed concerning the role of community school councils. Based on Scheffé post-hoc comparisons, however, it was deter- mined that there are no significant overall differences between the groups for the fifteen items found to be significant in the prior rejection of the primary hypothe- sis. Closer examination of the Scheffé post-hoc results do provide some additional implications, however. 94 Areas of Agreement In general, most of the differences that have been pointed out between groups occur between the lay citizens and one of the administrative groups surveyed. None of the comparisons between groups reach the fifty per cent level, or eight items. J 1" r This is a clear indication that there are areas of agreement between groups. These areas of agreement occur with a low of sixty per cent agreement (Citizens-Community *fi‘s I 1"“- School Directors) to a high of one hundred per cent if (Superintendents-Elementary Principals). The agreement that is indicated occurs on items relating to both the functions and characteristics of coun- cils. These areas of agreement, as well as the issues that have been identified by perceived differences of the four groups surveyed, are given consideration in the develop- ment of the recommendations stated later in this chapter. Areas of Disagreement Superintendents-Community School Directors Differences of opinion between superintendents and community school directors did occur on three questions that were significant at .05 level. More superintendents felt that each building in the district should have a council. Community school directors may have perceived 95 this as being an administrative burden, especially in districts where one director is responsible for several buildings.1 There was a significant difference at the .05 level between superintendents and community school direc- tors on the question dealing with the maintenance staff being represented on the council. Community school direc- tors felt more strongly that they should be represented. This may be caused by the fact that a community school program does require extra work, schedule adjustments for custodians, and wear and tear on a building. Community school directors must deal with these complaints from the custodial staff on a daily basis, the superintendent generally does not. Superintendents strongly felt that councils should be part of the community education program. Although com— munity school directors also felt so, their feeling for them was significantly less. This may be caused by a feeling among directors that councils could make their jobs less autonomous. lReasons stated for perceived differences have been determined after consideration of the literature, discussions held while developing the questionnaire, and from responses given to the open-ended question. .3!!! _' “-31 '- 96 Superintendents-Citizens On questions dealing with council membership, superintendents felt that lay citizens and students with strong convictions Should serve on councils. This was significantly different from the responses of citizens at the .05 level. One can only hypothesize regarding this difference. One reason may be the growing feeling among educators that it is necessary to involve those people that will be affected by a decision in the determination of that decision. Two other questions indicated significant, but not surprising differences. On the questions dealing with policy-making authority and political support for school board candidates, citizens felt more positive about these types of council involvement. Although administrative philosophy regarding political involvement by school sanctioned groups may be changing, the results of this questionnaire indicate the traditional "hands-off" policy practiced by administrators over the years is still pre— valent. School superintendents are also reluctant to "give away" any type of policy-making authority to a coun~ cil that has been given to the board of education. Superintendents-Elementary Principals There were no significant differences reported on any item of the questionnaire. This may indicate that 2, _. 1.1, 3&8! ( 97 these two groups view community school councils in a simi- lar light. Citizens-Community School Directors There were more significant differences at the .05 level between these two groups than any other two compared. Although the differences did not reach the fifty per cent level, significant differences did occur on six questions or on forty per cent of the fifteen items. Community school directors favored a significantly greater degree of student membership in councils than do citizens. Citizens, however, felt to a significantly greater extent that each building in the district should have a council, that councils should actively support can— didates for the board of education, and that non-parents should not serve on councils. These differences appear to support the position stated above that administrators tend to shy away from political involvement, and that they also favor more stu- dent involvement than does the citizenry. Elementary Principals- Community School Directors The only item that produced a significant differ- ence at the .05 level is item 12. Community school direc- tors felt a stronger need to solicit the support of community agencies, business organizations, and organized labor, than did elementary principals. 98 This may be caused by the fact that community school directors are more sensitive to the needs of vari- ous interest groups in the community than are elementary principals. Elementary Principals- Citizens 1 There were significant differences on the mean :1 scores between these groups on five items. Here again, citizens felt less strongly about student involvement on 1 councils than did the professional educator, the elementary i principal. Elementary principals felt that councils should be established in each building to a significantly greater extent than did citizens. Principals may have viewed the council as a source of feed—back, dissemination source, and public relations tool. Principals also felt a greater need to have spe- cial interest groups in the community represented than did the citizens. Principals may be more cognizant of the existence of these groups than do the citizens surveyed. Principals also felt to a greater degree that councils should more actively support candidates for the board of education. This may indicate that principals i are more aware of the impact a board of education has on ' a school program than do the citizen respondents. 99 Recommendations The recommendations below were developed only after due consideration was given to the results of the survey, consideration of current practices in community education, a review of the literature, and projected needs for the future. Where differences occur between survey results, past practice, and future needs, future needs was the determining factor in establishing these recom- mendations. Membership The membership of the council should reflect a cross-section of the various community organizations served by the area represented by the council. The members should reside or work in the area served and they must have an interest in community affairs. The initiation of council membership should be on an appointed basis. The appointments should be made by a committee consisting of: (a) the superintendent of schools or his designate, (b) a member of the board of education, (c) the community school director, (d) the elementary principal, (e) a teacher in the K-12 program, (f) president of the P.T.A., (g) a citizen at large. In determining the council membership consideration should be given to: 100 1. Ethnic Origin and Religious Affiliation 2. Social Class 3. Labor 4. Management and/or Business 5. School Staff (K-12) 6. Maintenance Staff 7. Sex, Age, Occupation 8. Student Representation 9. Parents and Non-Parents 10. Organizational Affiliation 11. New and Old Residents 12. Various Academic Backgrounds Lay membership should always be greater than mem- bers who are employed by the school district. If the popu- lation of the community is highly mobile, careful consideration should be given to maintaining continuity on the council. Term of Membership The initial council appointments should be made with one-third of the terms expiring in one year, one- third in two years, and one-third in three years. As terms expire residents of the area served should be in- formed of these vacancies. Interested individuals may apply for council membership, or current council members 101 may nominate interested people. No council member should serve more than two terms or six years. Council Size The council should contain between fifteen and twenty members. A larger group becomes impersonal and unwieldly, whereas a smaller group would not be representa- tive of all the groups mentioned above. Officers of the Council A council should have three officers. They include: a chairman, vice-chairman, and secretary-treasurer. Offi- cers should be rotated on a yearly basis with a year's experience on the council being a pre-requisite. The officers should be elected by the council. A layman should act as council chairman. Constitution and By-Laws A formal constitution is not necessary. A set of by-laws, or a written agreement with the board of educa- tion is essential. These by-laws or agreements should clearly define: 1. Council Membership 2. Term of Membership 3. Council Officers 4. Officers Role 5. Council Role 102 Meetings During the school year councils should meet on a scheduled basis, either monthly or bi—monthly. These meetings should be in the evening and in the local school served by the council. An agenda should be prepared and mailed to the membership prior to the meetings. The school should provide secretarial help for this purpose, typing minutes of meetings, etc. Summer meetings are to be dis- couraged unless a pressing need calls for a special meet- ing. This break in the routine during summer vacation, will help maintain interest during the year. All meetings should be Open to the public. Decision-Making Process There does not appear to be a "best" way to arrive at council decisions. There are two methods of decision- making to consider. One method is to vote on issues after they have been discussed. This technique is necessary in the election of officers and new members. The second tech- nique, concensus decision-making, can be more time consum- ing and yet be very effective. Each community must decide which method is best for them. Whichever method is adopted should be clearly spelled-out in the by-laws. Council Function As was stated above, the function of the council and its relationship to the board of education must be 103 clearly defined. The functions of the council must be con- sistent with the policies of the board of education. If the school district is relatively small and has only one or two councils, membership on them from the board of edu- cation is desirable. Council recommendations to the board of education, if they are well conceived and thought out, should result in affirmative action by the board. Most conflicts will be avoided if the role and responsibilities of the council are clearly delineated when the council is formed. Councils should function differently in each com- munity. These functions, will, to a great degree, depend upon community needs. The following list provides some of the activities a council might want to consider: 1. Promote and solicit communication with the community served. 2. Provide the principal and community school di- rector with recommendations regarding program. 3. Make recommendations to the board of education regarding facility use and school plant development. 4. Sponsor school-community activities (i.e., school carnivals, book fairs, art shows, speakers, etc.) that involve the community in school affairs. E). 104 5. Make recommendations to city officials regard- ing neighborhood improvement projects, park planning, etc. 6. Have representation on any committees formed to interview prospective community school director(s) or principal(s). 7. Establish priorities for action on community related projects and follow through on them. 8. Provide an opportunity for different viewpoints to be expressed. 9. Promote action programs in the community that will have measurable results. 10. Help foster a working relationship between the K-12 program and the before and after hours program. 11. Help coordinate all of the agencies that serve a community to best meet the needs of individuals. 12. Promote communication between the K-12 and community education programs and the community. District-Wide vs. Building Councils As was stated above, the decision to implement one district-wide council, or several building councils will be dictated to some degree by district size. Urban areas should consider building or regional councils rather than \w‘fi'. 105 a district-wide council. Regional councils might be an initial step in implementing the council concept in urban areas. The maturity of the community education program should also be a consideration. Districts just beginning community education programs should consider the district- wide, or regional councils as a first step. As the program is broadened and refined, building level councils should be considered. Which ever method is ad0pted, careful considera- tion should be given to the other recommendations outlined. Relationship of the Professional. Staff to the Council ‘ Members of the administrative staff should not have voting privileges on the council. If the council is formed on a district-wide basis, the superintendent, or his desig- nate, (other than the community school director) should attend all meetings. If the council is formed on a build- ing basis, the building principal should attend all meet- ings. In both cases, the community school director should attend. Council meetings provide an excellent opportunity to involve the K-12 and other professional staff. One way would be to invite one staff member per meeting to explain a part of the school program. Continuous dialogue 106 must be maintained between the council and all phases of the school program. Other.Comments Educators must be convinced that the structure of education fit community needs today and tomorrow. In look- ing toward the future, Toffler states: We must create a "Council of the Future" in every school and community: Teams of men and women devoted to probing the future in the interests of the present. By projecting "assumed futures," by defining coherent educational responses to them, by opening these alter- natives to active public debate, such councils-- similar in some ways to the "prognostic cells" advocated by Robert Jungk of the Technische Hochschule in Berlin-- could have a powerful impact on education. He continues: For those educators who recognize the bankruptcy of the present system, but remain uncertain about next steps, the council movement could provide purpose as well as power, through alliance with, rather than hostiality toward, youth. And by attracting community and parental participation—-businessmen, trade union- ists, scientists, and others--the movement could build broad political support for the super-industrial revo- lution in education. This can only be done through involving all the peOple affected by the school system in a continuing two- way dialogue on shared concerns. The community school council is one of the best means of bringing about this , 2Alvin Toffler, "Future Shock" (New York: Random House, 1970), p. 358. 3Ibid., p. 359. 107 involvement. The resources of the school system as well as the resources and personnel of community organizations dedicated to this same concept stand ready to help any new council organization. The councils can be living and growing organiza- tions ad0pting their by-laws and operations to meet needs as they develop. Recommendations for Further Study The following are suggested areas for further study pointed up by this dissertation. l. The relationship between the school administrative staff and the council appears to be vital. What should the relationship between the council and the school superintendent, elementary principal, or community school director be? What can, or should be done to enhance this relationship? 2. A broader survey, perhaps on a regional or na- tional basis might provide more factors that significantly contribute to the success of coun- cils. 3. Employing the recommendations presented above, a school district could implement council(s). After evaluating the success of their efforts the sug- gested recommendations could be altered for future use by other school districts. 108 4. Using this study as a starting point, an in-depth study could be developed of a small number (5-10) of community school councils. These councils could be recommended by the Community Education Dissemi- nation Centers located around the country. What factors make these councils successful? 5. With the many desegregation and busing programs going on, or pending in the nation, a thorough examination of these situations would be valuable. Can, or should, community school councils be es- tablished, and will they be successful in schools attended by students from a broad geographic area? 6. What are the implications for community school councils in the future? Do community educators view them as a threat or as a viable means to in- volve the community in a meaningful manner? General Summary The primary purpose of this study was to establish guidelines for the adoption and implementation of community school councils. In order to establish these guidelines it was necessary to review the literature pertaining to community school councils, determine what the characteris- tics and functions of councils should be, and identify some issues relevant to councils. 109 The characteristics and functions of councils were determined primarily by reviewing the literature. Some characteristics and functions were identified by means of a questionnaire, however. The questionnaire was sent to one hundred and sixty randomly selected administrators and citizens who were associated with school districts that received community education funding from the State of Michigan in 1970-71. One hundred and eighteen of the one hundred and sixty sur- veyed responded forming the experimental sample. The purpose of the questionnaire was to determine perceived differences or issues that the respondents had regarding community school councils. Forty school super- intendents, community school directors, elementary princi- pals, and citizens were surveyed. It was determined that there was a significant difference among the groups on fifteen of thirty-five items. Eight of these items pertained to the council's characteristics, and seven dealt with a council's role. Scheffé comparisons between groups revealed that there were no significant differences when a fifty per cent criterion for rejection was employed. Differences or issues were identifiable. These differences were mainly between the perceptions of the three school administra- tive groups surveyed and the lay citizens. 110 The recommended guidelines include: 1. Council Membership Term of Membership Council Size Officers of the Council Constitution and By-Laws Meetings Decision-Making Process Council Functions District—Wide vs. Building Councils Relationship of the Professional Staff to the Council. BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY Books Beck, Robert H. A Social History of Education. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1965. Callahan, Raymond E. An Introduction to Education in American Society. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1960. Cordasco, Francesco. A Breif History of Education. Totowa, New Jersey: Littlefield Adams and Co., 1965. Funk and Wagnalls College Dictionary, New York: Reader's Digest Publishing Co., 1968. Good, Carter V. Introduction to Educational Research. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1963. Good, Harry G., and Teller, James D. A History of Western Education. London: MacMillan Co., 1969. Hamlin, Herbert M. Citizens' Committees in the Public Schools. Danville, Illinois: Interstate, 1952. . The Public and Its Education. Danville, Illi- nois: Interstate, 1955. Kindred, Leslie. School Public Relations. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1957. Menge, Wilbur J., and Faunce, Roland C. Working Together For Better Schools. New York: American Book Co., 1953. Metropolitan School Study Council. Public Action For Powerful Schools. New York: Columbia University Press, 1950. McCloskey, Gordon. Education and Public.Understanding. New York: Herper-Row, 1967. lll 112 Olsen, Edward G. School and Communipy. New York: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1954. Poston, Richard W. Community Organization in Action. New York: Associated Press, 1959. Pounds, Ralph L. The Development of Education in Western Culture. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, Stearns, Harry L. Community Relations and The Public {3 Schools. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice- Hall, Inc., 1955. Toffler, Alvin. Future Shock. New York: Random House, 1970. Totten, Fred W. The Community School. Galien, Michigan: Allied Educational Counci1,41969. Van Dalen, Deobald B. Understanding Educational Research. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1962. Periodicals and Unpublished Materials Campbell, Clyde M. The Community School and Its Adminis- tration. October, 1964. Community Adult Education Services, University of Michigan. Flint Public Schools. "Community School Councils." Mimeo— graph, 1966. Flint Public Schools. "Community School Councils." Mimeo- graph, 1966. Gwinn, Sam. "The Role of the County Advisory Committee in Program Projects." Unpublished Doctoral Disserta— tion. University of Wisconsin, 1958. Harris, George D., Jr. "A Study of Citizen Participation in the Educational Decision-Making Process as Per- ceived by Parents From A Lower Socio-Economic Neighborhood." Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Michigan State University, 1970. "How Can Citizens Help Their Schools." National Citizens' Commission for Public Schools, Working Guide #1. ‘1. I 113 Hereford, Karl Thomas. "Citizens Committee for Public Schools." Bulletin of Bureau of School Services, September, 1954. Kaechle, Arthur A. "The Community School of Allegan." The School Executive, January, 1953. McCluskey, Howard Y. "Why and How Do Community Councils Get Started." The Michigan Newsletter on Community Development and Education, August, 1965. McNeill, David W. "The Community School Council, A Co- operative Effort." Community Education Journal. May, 1971. Peterson, Arden M. "A Study of Member Satisfaction, Atti- tude Perception and Its Relation To Action Programs In Community School Councils In Flint, Michigan." Unpublished Ed.S. Dissertation, University of Michigan, 1966. Policy for the Distribution of Community School Funds, Michigan Department of Education, 1970-71. Shanker, Albert. "Education in the Ghetto." Saturday Review. January 11, 1969. Teller, T. L. "The Purpose, Work, and Value of Citizens Committees." School Executive. January, 1952. Wirth, Lewis. "Urbanism As A Way of Life." American Journal of Sociology. July, 1938. O fi“? 4' , 1199m- . APPENDICES LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL TO SAMPLE QUESTIONNAIRE PROPOSED CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS WILLIAMS COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL STURGIS COMMUNITY-SCHOOLS AGREEMENT APPENDIX A MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, East Lansing, Michigan 48823 Mott Institute for Community Improvement College of Education - 517 Erickson Hall September 24, 1971 "'“E Dear Sir: Your school district has been randomly selected as 1 out of 128 that received Community School Funding from the state during 1970-71. We would appreciate your assistance con- cerning one facet of community education, namely, community school councils. .H Even though your school district may not have formally or- ganized a community school council as part of your community education program, we are still interested in your response. We are only interested in your frank and honest opinion. The purpose of the questionnaire is to determine how super- intendents, principals, community school directors, and citizens feel concerning the role of community school councils. Please answer the questions in a way that best describes your feeling concerning the role of a community school counCil. Your response to this questionnaire will be held in strict confidence and no name is requested. After you have com- pleted the questionnaire, please return it to me in the enclosed addressed envelOpe. Kindly return the question- naire by October 15th. Your kind assistance in this matter will be greatly appre- ciated. Sincerely yours, George J. Woons Department of Secondary Education and Curriculum GW/le Enclosures 114 APPENDIX B COMMUNITY SCHOOL COUNCIL QUESTIONNAIRE INSTRUCTIONS: Draw a circle around the letters that best describes the degree of agreement or disagreement for each item listed below. Please do not sign your name. The information will be reported only in composite form; individual school districts will not be identified. Definition: A Community School Council is one type of organization for the voluntary effort to solve problems of common concern in a community school program. if RATING SCALE SD SA D N A Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Disagree Agree Circle One 1. Teachers should be included in the coun- cil membership. SD D N A SA 2. Principals should not be included in the SD D N A SA counCil membership. 3. Students should be included in the coun- SD D N A SA Cil membership. 4. People with strong convictions should be SD D N A SA included in the council membership. 5. Citizens (not just teachers or princi- pals) should be included as council SD D N A SA officers. 6. Pe0ple from all income levels should 225 SD D N A SA be included in the council membership. 7. Community school councils should not have . . . . . ——— SD D N A SA a VOice in deCiding school affairs. 8. Each building in the district should have SD D N A SA a counCil. 9. CounCils should not take Sides on con- SD D N A SA troverSial subjects. 10. CounCils should have policy-making SD D N A SA authority 11. Councils should meet on a regular basis with the board of education. SD D N A SA 115 12. l3. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 116 Councils should not solicit the support of community agenCies, business organi- zations, and organized labor. Council meetings should be public, with adequate prior publicity concerning time, place, date, and agenda. A council should sponsor town-hall type 7meetings to discuss public issues. A council should have responsibility, within the limites set by the board of education, for program staffing, budget, and implementation. A council should promote democratic action in meeting local needs through existing agencies, organizations, and institutions. A council should take all necessary and advisable civic measures to develop new facilities where and when needed. Councils should not stimulate considera— tion for action by local agencies. Councils should encourage special inter- est groups within the community to have representation on a council. If councils exist in all elementary at- tendance arease, a representative dis— trict council should be formed with representation from the neighborhood councils. This representative council should be primarily concerned with the sharing of ideas and problems. The representative council should meet regularly with the board of education. A primary concern of the council should be to provide for better understanding between the school and the community. Council membership should reflect the racial composition of the area served. Council members should be appointed by the school administration. Council members should be elected by the community they serve. SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 117 Each organized group which uses school -facilities should not be represented on the council. The community school director should not be a voting member of the council. The school maintenance staff should be represented on the council. A school administrator (superintendent, .principal, or community school director) .should have the right to veto council decisions. Councils should actively support candi- dates for the board of education. A community school council is a viable method for involving citizens in the school-community relationship. Formally organized community school coun- cils should be a part of a comprehensive community education program. Non-parents should not serve on community school councils. What do you feel is the major advantage, and/or disadvantage of having a community school council? SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD D N A A SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA APPENDIX C PROPOSED CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS WILLIAMS COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL ARTICLE I - NAME The name of this organization shall be the Williams Community Advisory Council. ARTICLE II - COMMUNITY The area encompassed by the Williams Community Ad- visory Council is bounded on the North by Groveland; and the East by Branch Road; on the West by Buick Motor Divi- sion and Selby Street; and on the South by Broadway. ARTICLE III - PURPOSE The primary purpose of this organization shall be to help enrich life in the Williams Community Service Cen- ter area by enabling citizens and organizations of our community to join together to: a. Enable citizens to work together to determine needs and to utilize fully existing resources and to de- velOp other resources needed to meet those needs. b. Work for the prevention and elimination of condi- tions which cause social and health problems. c. Promote the highest possible quality and efficiency in the operation of services in the health, educa- tion, welfare, and recreation fields. d. Further effective coordination of effort and team- work among community agencies and organizations, both governmental and non-governmental. e. Bring about community recognition and understanding of the needs of the people and to stimulate interest and participate in meeting these effectively. f. Promote sound community progress by fostering accep- tance of individual and group responsibility in the health, education, welfare, and recreational fields. ARTICLE IV - MEMBERSHIP Section 1 - Membership Anyone in the community who evidences an interest in or desire to apply for membership can be considered a member and elected to the Executive Board in the following manner: 118 At the first annual meeting, and at every annual .J meeting thereafter, the total membership shall elect r1 119 a. The Williams Advisory Board, which was originally appointed to set up this organization, shall elect the first group of Executive Board Members and shall call this group together for the purpose of organization. b. Each year the Nominating Committee will review the list of members and submit at the annual meeting, a revised list for approval for the following year. c. members to one-year terms of membership. d. The executive Board may, at its discretion, elect honorary members in recognition of outstanding and unselfish services to the community. e. The Executive Board may set a monetary fee for mem- bership if they deem it necessary. Section 2 - Powers and Responsibilities Powers and responsibilities of the membership shall be: a. To elect new members. b. To elect the Executive Board except as provided in Article VII. c. To make recommendations to the Executive Board. d. To serve as a means of measuring community reaction on issues as requested by the Executive Board. e. To keep advised of the activities and projects of the Council through summaries of actions of the Ex- ecutive Board, special reports and newsletters. f. To interpret continually, the function and opera- tion of the Council to the community. 9. To serve on committees as agreed. ARTICLE V - MEETINGS Section 1 The annual meeting of the organization shall be held in the month of October at such time and place as may be determined by the Executive Board. 120 Section 2 The membership shall meet at other times during the year as may be deemed advisable by the Executive Board. Section 3 Notice of all membership meetings of the Council shall be in the form of public notices at least one week in advance of the time set. The purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called shall be stated in the notice. ARTICLE VI - VOTING AND QUORUM Section 1 Each member of the organization shall be entitled to one vote on each matter submitted to the members for their consideration. Each person shall vote in person and no member shall vote or act by proxy. Section 2 The affirmative vote of the majority of members present shall be necessary for the authorization or taking of any action voted upon by the members. ARTICLE VII - GOVERNING BODY The management and administration of the affairs of this organization shall reside with the Executive Board which shall be elected by and from the membership, except as otherwise specified. The Executive Board shall have authority to fill vacancies on the Board which may occur during the year. The Executive Board shall also be author- ized to elect five additional members to the Board, for one-year terms, if so desired. ARTICLE VIII - EXECUTIVE BOARD Section 1 - Composition and Election a. The Executive Board shall consist of a minimum of fifteen (15) and not more than twenty-seven (27) members elected by the membership. In addition thereto, the Board shall include the retiring president of the Council and the Chairman of all standing committees, in the event they are not members of the Board through election. The Execu— tive Board may elect five (5) additional Board Members for one-year terms. 121 b. At the first meeting of the membership of this or— ganization, the designated number of Executive Board Members shall be elected in such manner that one-third will serve for one year, one-third for two years, and one-third for three years, respectively. Thereafter, one—third of the board members shall be elected each year at the annual meeting for three year terms. c. Board members may be re-elected for successive terms; provided, however, that any person who has served two consecutive three year terms as a Board member shall be eligible for re-election only after an interval of one year. This restriction shall not apply in the case of immediate past president. d. Any member absenting himself from three consecu- tive meetings may be dropped from membership on the Board by a majority vote of the Executive Board. Such matters shall be reviewed periodically. “'9 F’s e. The Williams Community Advisory Board originally appointed to form the organization shall secure nominees for the first Executive Board, which nominations shall be presented at the first meet- ing of the organization membership. Section 2 - Place of Meetipg The Executive Board may hold their meetings in such place as a majority of the Board may from time to time determine, or as set forth in the notice of said meeting. Section 3 - Regular and Special Meetings a. Regular meetings of the Executive Board shall be held montly, unless otherwise determined by the Board. b. Special meetings of the Executive Board may be called at any time by the President or five (5) members of the Board; provided at least three (3) days notice is given each member of the time, place, and purpose of such special meeting; said notice being given to such addresses as are reflected in the records of the organization. 122 Section 4 - Quorum Ten (10) members of the Executive Board shall con- stitute a quorum for the transaction of business and, if at any meeting of the Executive Board there be less than a quorum present, a majority of those present may adjourn the meeting from time to time. Section 5 - Vacancies Vacancies on the Executive Board shall be filled from the membership by the remaining members of the Board and each person so elected shall be a Board Member for the period of the unexpired term. Section'6 e Compensation No director shall receive any salary or compensa- tion for his services as director. ARTICLE IX - FUNCTIONS OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD The duties and powers of the Executive Board shall be to: a. Manage the affairs of the organization. b. Establish the policies of the Council, adopt rules, regulations and by-laws consistent with the pur- pose of the organization and its constitution and necessary for the attainment of the purposes of the organization. c. Authorize necessary committees and take final action on appropriate recommendations coming from such committees. d. Secure, receive, and disburse funds and accept and dispose of property. e. Utilize the services of the Community Relations Director of the Williams Community Education Cen- ter as executive director of the council to carry out programs and clerical services and assistance deemed necessary by the Executive Board. f. Give, at least once a year at a meeting of the membership, a report of major activities. 123 ARTICLE X - OFFICERS AND DUTIES Section 1 - Officers The officers of the organization shall be: a president, one or more vice-presidents, a secretary, and a treasurer, all to be elected by the Board Members from their own membership; and an executive director, if ap- pointed, may serve as secretary to the Board but shall not be a voting member of that body. Officers shall hold office for one year or until their successor have been duly elected and qualified. Section 2 - President The President shall preside at meetings of the members, and Executive Board. He shall also have, exer- cise, and perform such other powers and duties as may be assigned to him herein and from time to time by the Execu— tive Board. Section 3 - Vice-President(s) In case the office of President shall become va— cant, or in case of the absence of the President, or his inability to discharge the duties of his office, such duties shall, for the time being, devolve upon the Vice- President in the order of their office. They shall per- form such other duties as the Executive Board may, from time to time, authorize. Section 4 - Secretapy The secretary shall have the responsibility for providing that notices be issued for all meetings of the Board of Directors, and all meetings of the members, and shall provide that minutes of such meetings be adequately kept. He shall perform all such other duties as are inci- dent to his office or prescribed by the Executive Board. Section 5 - Treasurer The treasurer shall have the custody and keep account of all money, funds, and property of the organi- zation, unless otherwise determined by the Executive ' Board and he shall render such statements and present such statements to the Board Members and President as may be required of him. He shall deposit all funds of the organization which may come into his hands in such bank or banks as the Executive Board may designate. He shall keep his accounts open at all reasonable times to any Board Member or member of the organization upon application at the office of the organization during business hours. He shall pay out money as the business may require upon the 124 order of the properly constituted officer or officers of the organization, taking proper vouchers therefore; pro- vided, however, that the Executive Board shall have power by resolution to delegate any of the duties and obligations of the Treasurer to other officers or banking institutions and to provide by whom all bills, notes, checks, vouchers, orders, or other instruments shall be countersigned. He shall cause an annual audit to be made of the financial books and records of the organization. He shall perform, in addition, such other duties as may be delegated to him by the Executive Board. Section 6 - Community Relations Director The Executive Board will utilize the services of the Community Relations Director of the Williams Community Education Center as the administrative officer of the Council, and he will be responsible for its records and for carrying out the policies and program of the Council in accordance with the Constitution and By-Laws and the policies of the Executive Board. ARTICLE XI - COMMITTEES The chairman of all committees, unless otherwise specified, shall be appointed by the President and approved by the Executive Board. The President shall be an ex- officio member of all committees and shall have the pri- vileges of attendance and voting at all committee meetings. The President, with the approval of the Board of Direc- tors, may appoint, without regard to membership on the Executive Board, as many committees as will further the purposes and objectives of the Council. Such committees might include Executive, Nominating, Finance and Budget, Public Relations, Project Committees, et cetera. A majority of members of all committees herein estab- lished shall constitute a quorum. ARTICLE XII - GENERAL PROVISIONS Section 1 - Fiscal Year The fiscal year of the Council shall be the calendar year. Section 2 - Parliamentary Procedures When parliamentary procedures are not covered by these By-Laws, Current Robert's Rules of Order shall control. 3 f 125 ARTICLE XIII - AMENDMENTS The Constitution and By—Laws may be adopted, altered, amended, or repealed, on the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Executive Board present at any meeting of the Executive Board; provided the proposed additions or changes in By-Laws have been submitted in writing to all members of the Executive Board not less than ten (10) days before the meeting at which formal action on such By-Laws is sought. ‘11 II. APPENDIX D STURGIS COMMUNITY-SCHOOLS AGREEMENT Preamble The purpose of this agreement is to improve services provided by various agencies in the community, to in- crease the efficiency of recreation operations, and to assist agencies to fulfill the requirements of the s citizens-of the community at the lowest possible cost. This agreement shall constitute the basis for the co- operative action of the Sturgis Board of Education and the Sturgis City Commission in their planning for the acquisition, development and use of local public faci- lities. Organization A. Community-Schools Council. There is hereby created a Community-Schools Council to consist of nine (9) members. Ex-officio members of the Council shall be the Superintendent of Sturgis Public Schools and the Sturgis City Manager. The Sturgis Board of Education shall appoint a faculty member (1 year term) and a Board member (2 year term). The Sturgis City Commission shall appoint a member of the City staff (1 year term), and a Commissioner (2 year term). The Camp Fort Hill Board of Directors shall appoint one member (2 year term). Two (2) members at— large shall be appointed by the other seven members, one for a one year term and one for a two year term. After the first appointments, all terms shall be for two years. The Council shall be responsible to the Board of Education and the City Commission. The Council shall meet the third Thursday of each month at 11:30 A.M. The Council shall annually elect a Chairman and Vice-Chairman. B. Responsibilities of the Communipy-Schools Council The Council shall establish and Operate a variety of community educational and recreational programs. In addition, the Council shall be responsible for the operation of Camp Fort Hill. The Council may enter into agreements with either the School Board or City for the use of any public facility. 126 127 The areas of program development as listed in the .master plan are as follows: 1. Adult and youth recreation 2. Basic education classes 3. High school completion program 4. Adult enrichment programs 5. Youth enrichment programs 6. Programs for senior citizens. C. Community-Schools Advisory Committee ?1 'l The Community-Schools Council shall appoint a Community- . q Schools Advisory Committee for the purpose of aiding in determining the needs of the community and expediting programs to meet these needs. The members of this _ Committee shall be as follows: ’ . One (1) representative of Labor (3 yr.) _ ; One (1) representative of Senior Citizens (2 yr) ’ One (1) representative of the Clergy (1 yr) One (1) representative of High School students (2 yrs.) 5. One (1) representative of Central Intermediate students (2 yr.) 6. One (1) representative of the Inter-Service Club Council (1 yr). 7. One (1) representative of the Chamber of Com- merce (1 yr.) 8. One (1) representative of Glen Oaks Community College (3 yr.) 9. Two (2) members at-large (1-3 yr. terms) ubWNF" D After the first appointment, terms shall be three (3) years. The first terms shall be as indicated above. The Committee shall annually elect a Chairman and a Secretary. D. Community:Schools Director An executive with the title of Community-Schools Direc- tor is hereby authorized, whose salary and appurtenant administrative expenses will be paid from the budget of the Community-Schools program. He shall be appointed by the Community-Schools Council upon recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools. He shall be considered a school administrator with status equal to that of a principal. The Director will be responsible for the direction of the total Community-Schools program. III. IV. V. 128 Financing A. Revenue The Board of Education and the City Commission shall budget each year funds for the Community-Schools pro- gram in the amount consistent with that currently being budgeted for the present programs being incorporated into the Community-Schools organization. Additional sources of income shall be the Sturgis United Fund, Federal and State grants, aids, contributions, tuition . J and fees. 7.1 B. Financial Records A Community-Schools fund shall be incorporated into the Sturgis Public Schools financial system for the purpose of receiving revenue and disburseing financial obligations. This fund will be subject to the regular school audit. The audit report shall be filed with the City Commission. C. Fiscal Year The fiscal year of the Community-Schools program shall be July 1 to June 30. D. Budget The Community-Schools Director shall present a yearly financial budget to the Community-Schools Council for their approval. The budget will then be presented to the City Commission and the Board of Education for their approval. Camp Fort Hill Camp Fort Hill shall continue to be the responsibility of the Camp Fort Hill Board of Directors and shall continue to be leased to the City of Sturgis for $1 per year. The Camp Fort Hill Director shall submit a yearly Operational budget to the Community-Schools Council for their approval and subsequent incorporation into the total budget. The Camp Fort Hill Director shall be hired by the Community-Schools Council and shall be responsible to it in all matters of operation. Personnel All Community—School personnel shall be hired by the Community—Schools Director with approval of the VI. VII. VIII. IX. 129 Community-Schools Council. They shall be considered employees of the Sturgis Public Schools. Maintenance The responsibility for the development and general maintenance of the "school areas" is that of the Board of Education and the responsibility for the development and general maintenance of "city areas" is that of the City Commission. Specific maintenance needs for Community-Schools pro- grams shall be the responsibility of the Community- SchoolsTCouncil. :5. ._" b 0!!" Co-ordinated School-Park Planning and Develgpment A. The Community-Schools Council shall serve as the agent of the Board of Education and the City Commission in the joint planning of all school-park sites, but all plans shall be finally approved by the Board and the City Commission. B. In the event that additions to existing school buildings, or additional school buildings are planned, the school architects shall consult with the Community- Schools Director to the end that buildings or additions to buildings may be designed to serve their dual pur- pose to the greatest practicable extent. Standards for Development of School-Park Facilities A. Standards of the National Recreation Association and the National Council on Schoolhouse Construction shall be considered in the development of standards for school-park construction. B. 2.5 acres per 1,000 of the total population served by the school plus the area required for the school building and its immediate environs shall be considered as a desirable goal in land area for the combination school-park facility. Acquisition and Ownership of School-Park Sites A. The land for school-park sites may be acquired by joint purchase or may be purchased by the City or the Board of Education individually. Each governmental unit shall retain ownership to parcels it owns at the time of the execution of this agreement or subsequently acquired. If property is jointly purchased, ownership XI. 130 shall be determined by mutual agreement at the time of purchase. A request may be made by either party for permission for the use of property of the other, or a lease may be negotiated to assign use of the property. Dividing prOperty lines should not influence over-all design, nor necessarily be defined by a fence or other obstruction. B. When the Board of Education contemplates the acquisi- tion of property that potentially is a school-park area, it shall inform and consult with the Community-School FE Council. If the City of Sturgis is expected to assume development and/or maintenance and Operational costs of all or a part of the area, prior approval of the City Commission shall be obtained. C. The Board of Education agrees to make available to the Community-Schools Council for community recreation purposes, the use of grounds and buildings under its control, in accordance with stipulations set forth in this agreement. Control of Use of School-Park Sites A. The "school area" including the school building is under the exclusive control of the Board of Education during the hours school is in session. B. During the hours school is not in session, groups directly connected with the school function shall be given first priority in the use of the school area. C. In all other instances the Community-Schools Direc— tor shall be responsible for the scheduling and control of the use of the school-park areas as further provided in this agreement and the rules and regulations pro- vided for in XII. CapitalVImprovements In accordance with Act 156 of the Public Acts of 1917, as amended, and subject to other applicable statutory provisions, the Board of Education and the City Commis- sion may, by mutual agreement, jointly undertake the development and maintenance Of capital improvements such as recreation centers, cultural centers and swimming pools. 131 XII. Use of School Buildings A. Rules and Regulations Rules and regulations covering the conditions of use of school buildings and areas shall be prepared in writing by the Board of Education following consulta- tion with the Community—Schools Council. The Community- Schools Director shall be continually appraised by. their current content. These rules and regulations when adopted shall constitute a part of this agreement. B. Permits Permits for community use of school buildings will be applied for by the Community-Schools Director in ac- cordance with established rules and regulations. C. Charges No charge will be made to the Community-Schools Council for the use of the school facilities except where it is deemed necessary by the Board of Education to provide service beyond that normally required for school pur- poses. In such event an hourly or flat rate charge may be made to the Community-Schools Council to the extent of the additional cost to the Board of Education arising as a result of the community activity. D. Supervision The Community-Schools Council shall be responsible for the provision of qualified personnel, for supervision of all activities under its jurisdiction and for the content of such activities. The Community-Schools Council assumes full responsibility for the prOper care of Board of Education facilities and will see that every effort is made to leave a facility in as clean a condition as possible with all equipment returned to its normal place of storage. E. Use of Equipment School equipment shall only be used in accordance with rules and regulations attached to, and made a part of, this agreement. F. School Cafeterias and Kitchens These facilities shall only be used in accordance with rules and regulations attached to, and made a part of, this agreement. XIII. 132 G. Summer.Playground Use Certain parts of school buildings may be used in the summer playground activity as provided in the rules and regulations. Amendments This agreement may be amended by mutual agreement of the School Board and the City Commission. "IVilllljlllllllllllis