Running an Effective FAC
WHAT IS A FAC?
Steps to FAC Formation
1
Admin sets total number for FAC.
2
Lead TAAAC Building Rep. is automatically a member.
3
Unit 1 employees elect a majority of the rest.
4
Admin appoints a minority of the rest.
5
Entire FAC elects officers.
Roles - Appendix FAC Handbook
Faculty Council Member | Officers | Admin |
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Roles – Appendix FAC Handbook
Is it a FAC issue?
“Procedures" refer to all those matters under the Master Agreement and the Board's policy.
What's does the Master Agreement say?
Basics of Agenda Setting
Determining if a concern goes on the agenda
When to Use “Executive Session”
Roberts Rules allows the FAC to vote to go into “executive session” where only
the voting members of the FAC remain in the room (and at times invited guests as
appropriate) and the discussion is confidential and not included in the minutes.
This can be useful when…
IMPORTANT: Executive session discussions are confidential and should therefore be used very judiciously and sparingly in order to maintain as much transparency as possible in the decision-making process.
Your job – at the meeting
If approved by FAC, Send to Admin
Via the minutes
Entire FAC votes on suggested solution
TAAAC rep, elected, & appointed; not admin
Generate a suggested solution
Discuss then refine
Discuss concerns
With time limits
Present concern
Based on written submission
FAC Agenda Item: Cost of staff water jugs is expensive and no longer covered by the vending machine funds after FAC lowered the prices.
FAC Next Steps: FAC believes a water club would only work if all faculty participate. A survey will be determined to have staff decide the path forward.
Admin Response: We have water bottle fillers in the 6th and 8th grade hallways. We are allocating community school money to get one in the 7th grade hallway for the 24-25 school year.
FAC Suggestion #1: Use water bottle fillers in the school and stop spending money on water jugs
FAC Suggestion #2: Start a water club for staff who want it (pay in)
EXAMPLE: Handling A Faculty Concern
Post FAC Meeting
Send the minutes out to all Unit 1 employees.
TAKE THE FAC QUIZ!
Read and answer the true or false questions on the following slides to test your FAC knowledge.
True or false?
The purpose of the FAC is to advise administration on school wide issues.
TRUE!
School-wide issues can be addressed by FAC. Personnel issues/individual gripes/member on
member complaints should be weeded out and not added to the agenda.
True or false?
The principal decides how many people are on the FAC.
TRUE!
Ex: Principal determines there should be six members of FAC. The TAAAC building rep is automatically one member, two may be chosen by the principal, three will be elected by the entire Unit 1.
Article 20B: “Nothing in these provisions shall preclude a decision of the faculty by secret ballot election to have the entire Unit I staff act as the Council.
True or false?
You have to be a member of TAAAC to
be on the FAC.
FALSE!
TAAAC membership is not required (though preferred!) to be on the FAC.
True or false?
The principal usually chairs the FAC meetings, but the teachers vote to give advice to the administration.
FALSE!
This is an EDUCATOR MEETING. The principal is a non-voting guest at your meeting.
True or false?
The Committee sets the agenda for the meeting, but the principal may review beforehand.
TRUE!
Admin may ask (not tell) if an item should be added or removed from the agenda.
True or false?
The principal has no vote but should attend FAC meetings.
TRUE!
The goal is to advise the principal on items including but not limited to the following: health and safety, parent teacher conferences, duty hour start/end times, student discipline, and extracurricular programs.
True or false?
You may ask the principal to step out of an FAC meeting.
TRUE!
You have the right to go into “executive session” and discuss how to word something or what to say to your administrator.
True or false?
The minutes of the FAC meetings, once the principal responds to the issues in writing, are distributed to all Unit 1 employees.
TRUE!
This is especially important because once the Principal agrees to the minutes and has given their “official” answer, then you/TAAAC may hold them to whatever they say.
True or false?
You can overrule the Negotiated Agreement if the FAC votes to.
FALSE!
The FAC may not overrule the contract (ex. agree to more duty time/less planning time). There is gray area but the contract must be followed.
Ex: The FAC votes to allow extra duty time on Tuesday in exchange for leaving early on Friday. Any single person could say “no” and demand they get the proper amount of duty time.
True or false?
It is the contractual duty of the FAC to advise the principal on rating rotations for Unit One employees and duty hours.
FALSE!
Review contract articles 11A; 18E; 3I.1C;
10B; 11C; 11G; 14A for roles of FAC.
Common Tricky
FAC Problems
Read through the following possible situations. If you are encountering any of them, work with your fellow FAC members and/or talk to your UniServ Director to find ways to resolve them.
FAC 202 - Tricky FAC Problems
An effective FAC is about more than just knowing what’s in the handbook.
Common, tricky, problems FACs run into include
FAC 202 - Tricky FAC Problems
Personal Issues
Example: Admin creates a new recess duty schedule that forces several teachers to supervise recess every day because two other teachers aren't getting along and admin wants to separate them.
FAC 202 - Tricky FAC Problems
Agenda Setting
Two *bad* common responses:
FAC 202 - Tricky FAC Problems
Overbearing Principals
Despite this, principals often exert inappropriate authority in several ways:
FAC 202 - Tricky FAC Problems
Voting
Failure to hold votes often leads to these problems: