The School Leadership Team (SLT) is a group of people who develop educational policies for their school. They also make sure there are resources to support those policies.
The SLT’s Role
- An SLT is responsible for developing a school’s Comprehensive Educational Plan (CEP). See the iPlan portal (Open external link) to find your CEP.
- An SLT makes a yearly evaluation of the principal’s record of developing an effective, shared decision-making relationship with the SLT members during the year. This evaluation is given to the community district or high school superintendent.
- The SLT is not responsible for the hiring or firing of school staff. However, according to Chancellor’s Regulation C-30, the SLT must be consulted prior to the appointment of a principal or assistant principal.
- Provide ongoing evaluations of a school’s educational programs and their impact on student achievement.
- Play an important role in school-based decision-making
- Help to make school cultures more collaborative.
Visit the SLT support site (Open external link) to get the toolkit, bylaws, training modules, and other resources. Visit iPlan Public Resources to learn more about the CEP and access educational planning resources.
SLT Members
There are 3-4 members of the school community who must be members of the SLT:
- Principal
- Parent Association/Parent-Teacher Association President
- United Federation of Teachers Chapter Leader
- Title I Parent Advisory Council (PAC) Chair/Alternate (applicable for Title I schools), or their designees.
The other members are elected parents and staff members. An SLT should have a minimum of 10 members, and a maximum of 19 members. The exact number of members on a school’s SLT is stated in the SLT’s bylaws. Regardless of the total number, the SLT must have an equal number of parents and staff members.
Middle and high school SLTs must include students (a minimum of two students is required in middle school and high school SLTs). 6-12 schools must have one middle school student and one high school student. An SLT can also include representatives from community-based organizations (CBOs) that work with the school. Students and CBO representatives do not count when determining whether a team has an equal number of parents and staff. The exact composition of a school’s SLT is stated in the SLT’s bylaws.
Guidance on Public Meetings and School Visits
School Leadership Teams (SLTs) and Citywide/Community Education Councils (CCECs) are essential elements of our educational governance structure and ensure collaborative decision- making in school-level and district-level policy. The Guidance on Public Meetings and School Visits explains how SLT and CCEC meetings can be conducted in accordance with recent changes in law and vaccination mandates.
SLT Decision Making
SLTs must use a consensus-based decision-making process as their means of decision-making with regards to all CEP and budget related matters. Best efforts should be made to reach consensus on all matters, but administrative matters may be approved through majority vote (e.g., adoption and amendments of bylaws, scheduling meetings, approving minutes, election of officers).
This approach works well because it balances fairness with efficiency. Requiring full agreement on big decisions—like school plans and budgets—gives teachers, parents, and leaders an equal voice, builds trust, and ensures everyone supports the final decision. At the same time, allowing a simple majority vote for routine tasks keeps the team from spending additional time on minor paperwork so they can focus on what matters most to students.
Laws and Regulations
New York State Education Law Section 2590-h requires every New York City Public School to have a School Leadership Team. In addition, Chancellor’s Regulation A-655 (CR A-655) establishes guidelines to ensure the formation of effective SLTs in every New York City public school.