In compliance with Education Code 11.251, the District QuEST Committee shall advise the Board or its designee in establishing and reviewing the District’s educational goals, objectives, and major Districtwide classroom instructional programs identified by the Board or its designee. The committee shall serve exclusively in an advisory role except that the committee shall approve staff development of a Districtwide nature.

Chairperson
The Superintendent shall be the Board’s designee and shall serve as a District-level member of the committee. The chairperson of the committee shall be elected by the members of the committee.

Meetings
The chairperson of the committee shall set its agenda, and shall schedule at least four meetings per year; additional meetings may be held at the call of the chairperson. All committee meetings shall be held outside of the regular school day.

Duties of the Committee
The committee shall perform duties as described in BQA(LEGAL).

Composition
The committee shall be composed of members who shall represent  campus-based professional staff, District-level professional staff, parents, businesses, and the community. At least two-thirds of the District and campus professional staff shall be classroom teachers. The remaining one-third shall be professional nonteaching District and campus-level staff. For purposes of this policy, District-level professional staff shall be defined as professionals who have responsibilities
at more than one campus, including, but not limited to, central office staff.

Community Input
The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that the District-level committee obtains broad-based community, parent, and staff input and provides information to those persons on a systematic basis. Methods of communication shall include, but not be limited to:
1. Articles in in-house publications regarding work of the committee.
2. News releases to the media in the District regarding the work of the committee.
3. Periodic reports to the principals on the work of the committee that may be posted on campus bulletin boards.

Parents
The committee shall include two parents of students currently enrolled within the District, selected in accordance with administrative procedures. The Superintendent shall, through various channels, inform all parents of District students about the committee’s duties
and composition, and shall solicit volunteers.

Community Members
The committee shall include two community members selected by a process that provides for adequate representation of the community’s diversity, in accordance with administrative procedures. The Superintendent shall use several methods of communication to ensure
that community residents are informed of the committee and are provided the opportunity to participate, and shall solicit volunteers. All community member representatives must reside in the District.

Business Representatives
The committee shall include two business representatives, selected by a process that provides for adequate representation of the community’s diversity, in accordance with administrative procedures. The Superintendent shall use several methods of communication to ensure that community residents are informed of the committee and are provided the opportunity to participate, and shall solicit volunteers. Business member representatives need not reside in nor operate businesses in the District.

Professional Staff
The professional employees shall consist of four representatives from each campus. Three representatives shall be nominated by and elected from classroom teachers assigned to the campus. One representative shall be nominated by and elected from nonteaching professional employees assigned to the campus. Three District-level professional staff members, other than the Superintendent, shall be elected by the District-level professional staff.

Elections
An employee’s affiliation or lack of affiliation with any organization or association shall not be a factor in either the nomination or election of representatives on the committee.

The consent of each nominee shall be obtained before the person’s name may appear on the ballot. Election of the committee shall be held each school year at a time determined by the Board or its designee. Nomination and election shall be conducted in accordance with this policy and administrative regulations.

Terms
Representatives shall serve staggered two-year terms and shall be limited to two consecutive terms on the committee. After the initial election or selection, representatives shall draw lots, within each representative category, to determine the length of initial terms.

Vacancy
If a vacancy occurs among the representatives, nominations shall be solicited and an election held or selection made for the unexpired term in the same manner as for the annual election.

Other Advisory Groups
The existence of the District-level committee shall not affect the authority of the Board or its designee to appoint or establish other advisory groups or task forces to assist it in matters pertaining to District instruction.

Minutes from District QuEST Committee Meetings
September 2012
October 2012