What is Campus Governance?
Did you know that more than half of all schools in New York City share campuses with other schools and programs? These schools need structures and guidance to use their shared campus effectively. Campus governance is the name for the rules and methods these campuses rely on to work together.
Effective Governing
Characteristics of strong leadership include:
- Shared vision and goals
- Consensus decision-making
- Collaborative partnerships
- Coordinated financial and space-planning decisions
- Flexible & creative usage of shared spaces
Building Councils
On a Building Council (BC), DOE principals, charter, and District 75 school leaders share responsibility for building a safe, consistent campus culture for their community.
In the event that a building council cannot reach resolution on an issue, the dispute resolution procedures set forth in the Campus Policy Memo and Procedures shall be applicable.
Resources
Co-location Handbook
Sharing space has become common in New York City Public Schools and is aligned to the Department of Education’s mission to build a system of excellent schools based on research that shows that strong schools and strong communities will lift up the entire system to support all students. New York City educators are committed to working collaboratively with parents, educators, school communities, and external stakeholders to improve academic outcomes and ensure that students graduate from high school prepared for college and/or a career and a future as a productive, critically thinking adult.
Read the Co-location Handbook to learn more about the policies and practices that support school communities.
Shared Space Committees
On a Shared Space Committee (SSC), parents, teachers, and principals review the building utilization plan. This is the document that defines co-located space and how it should be used. Chancellor’s Regulation A-190 describes how Shared Space Committees should work.
School Leadership Teams
On a School Leadership Team (SLT), parents, teachers, and principals help to evaluate a school’s educational programs. In campuses with multiple schools, these teams should meet at least twice a year. Chancellor’s Regulation A-655 describes how School Leadership Teams should work.
Governance Communications
Building Council Updates
All Building Councils must host 12 Building Council meetings between August and July of the following year. They then have to upload minutes from these meetings into the Principal Annual Space Survey (PASS system). In addition, all principals on a single campus complete an Annual Facilities Survey together,
Shared Space Committee Updates
All campuses that include charter schools must have a Shared Space Committee (SSC). On it are representatives from every school on the campus. that is made up of, including
- Parent
- Teacher
- Principals/School Leaders
The district schools’ School Leadership Team recommends teachers and parents from DOE schools, while charter school leaders recommend teachers and parents from charter schools.
Four SSC meetings must be held each year. After each meeting. the committee must upload meeting minutes to the Principal Annual Space Survey (PASS) (old link: https://survey.nycsca.org/pass/) system.
School Leadership Team Updates
School Leadership Teams must:
- Send up-to-date member contact information to their District Leadership Team (DLT)
- Reach consensus agreement on the alignment of the school-based budget with the Comprehensive Education Plan (CEP)
- Complete the annual assessment of the principal’s record of shared decision-making with the School Leadership Team (SLT)
- Take parent complaints to the superintendent, when the substance of the complaint is that a principal’s decision seems inconsistent with the school’s CEP goals
If you have questions about campus governance, please email campus@schools.nyc.gov.