What is the SDMC?

  • SDMC: Shared Decision-Making Committee

    Description:

    This campus-level planning and decision-making process was established in 1992 by the Board of Education to involve professional and non-professional staff members, parents, community members, and business representatives in public education. Participants at each school review the district’s educational goals, objectives, and major district wide classroom instructional programs to ensure they meet the standards set forth in the Texas Education Code.
     
    How to Participate:
     
    The school principal determines the size of the committee and nominates members from the public sphere. School-based committee members are selected by secret ballot at the campus level. Contact your school’s principal for details on how to be considered as a candidate or nominee. The principal of our school is Mr. David Knittle and you may call him at 713-696-2720.
     
    General Overview:
     
    Our campus Shared Decision-Making Model (SDM) is designed to establish, monitor, and evaluate goals for budgeting, staffing, curriculum, planning, school organization, staffing patterns, and staff development. This model is aligned to state legislation and HISD board policy. The intention of the SDMC is to pull together our community in a constructive, organized, and unified body to enhance the education of all students.

    The SDMC is the shared decision-making body. Professional staff representatives are elected by the faculty. The principal determines number of classroom teachers and then assigns half that number to school-based staff. This complies with 2/3 to 1/3 rule for professional staff. In addition, the committee must have one non-instructional staff, one business member, at least two parents, and at least two community members. Parents are elected by the PTO, PTA or PACS membership. SDMC members serve two-year terms at a time.

    The SDMC meets monthly and as needed to discuss issues brought forth by the administration, staff, parents, or community. It is supported by standing sub-committees that address budgeting, staffing, curriculum, planning, school organization, staffing patterns, and staff development. Standing sub-committees meet as needed. Parents are encouraged to serve on standing sub-committees.

    The SDMC functions under the direction of the principal. Members of the SDMC attend SDMC meetings for the term of his/her office, monitor the implementation of the School Improvement Plan, address issues presented by the principal, present issues for discussion and recommend resolutions to the SDMC, create ad hoc committees by consensus of the SDMC, chair standing committees and ad hoc committees, submit minutes to the principal for committee meetings, and report the recommendations to the SDMC. The SDMC is responsible for approving all professional development plans for the school.

    The principal coordinates the process of shared decision making, facilitates communication for all stakeholders, considers issues and recommendations from the community, SDMC, and standing committees, and makes decisions based on those recommendations.
     
    Composition of the SDMC:
     

    Number of classroom teachers

        4

    Number of parents (at least 2)

        2

    Number of school-based staff

    (Half the number of classroom teachers)

         2

    Number of community members

    (at least 2)

        2

    Number of non-instructional staff

         1

    Number of business members

        1
     
     
    For more information:

    You may wish to consult the related policy on this subject: BQB2 (Regulation) (.pdf).