Purpose - Each school in the State of Florida must have a SAC.  Each advisory council is composed of the principal and an appropriately balanced number of teachers, education support employees, students (secondary level only), parents, and other business and community citizens who are representative of the ethnic, racial, and economic community served by the school (State Statute #1001.452).  High schools and vocational technical centers must have students on the SACs. Middle and junior high schools may include students on their SAC.  School advisory councils of career centers and adult education centers are not required to include parents as members. The majority of SAC members (over 50 percent) must not be employed by the SCHOOL DISTRICT on whose SAC they serve.  Council members representing teachers, education support employees, students, and parents shall be elected by their respective peer groups at the school fairly and equitably as follows:

 The team of individuals from various segments of the community:

• Adopt bylaws for their procedures
• Focus efforts on increasing student achievement
• Assist in the preparation and evaluation of the School Improvement Plan
• Approve and ensure that the School Improvement Funds enhance school performance through the development and implementation of a School Improvement Plan.

The goal is to allow members (parents, teachers, community members, PTO members and administrators) to discuss problems and innovative solutions. Florida Statutes mandate that each School Advisory Council adopts a school improvement plan - a local blueprint on how to best improve local schools.

SAC meetings are:

• Scheduled at times convenient to most members
• Announced publicly at least three working days in advance of the meeting
• Opened to the public, subject to the Florida Sunshine Law, which means the SAC's work, its plan, the information developed and used in writing the plan, and the Meetings must be open and accessible to anyone interested, recorded and under the Florida Sunshine Law must be available for inspection by any interested person (only available for 30 days)

DUTIES - Each advisory council shall perform functions prescribed by regulations of the district school board; however, no advisory council shall have any of the powers and duties now reserved by law to the district school board. Each school advisory council shall assist in the preparation and evaluation of the school improvement plan required pursuant to s. 1001.42(18). With technical assistance from the Department of Education, each school advisory council shall assist in the preparation of the school’s annual budget and plan as required by s. 1008.385(1). A portion of funds provided in the annual General Appropriations Act for use by school advisory councils must be used for implementing the school improvement plan.