School Improvement Councils

An SIC is a broad-based body intended to advise the principal and school, and is focused on helping to achieve school improvement.

Parent, teacher, student (9th grade or above), and community member representatives serve on an SIC, as do the school's principal and other ex-officio members.

State law requires that every K-12 public school in South Carolina convene an SIC. The law states that it is the responsibility of the local school board to ensure SICs are constituted within each district. This includes career, vocational, and technical schools. Public charter schools may convene an SIC but it is not required by law.

SIC duties focus primarily on the school improvement process. SICs:

• provide input and feedback during the development of the school's five-year renewal (improvement) plan and annual updates;
• assist in implementation of school improvement programs and activities;
• monitor and report on progress toward improvement goals in the annual SIC Report to the Parents and with the principal in the narrative to the SC School Report Card;
• provide other assistance as requested by the principal.
• What are the limitations on an SICs' authority?
• SICs are advisory only. They do not have any of the powers and duties reserved for the local school board, district, or school administrators, teachers, and staff.

Parents are nominated and elected by the parents at their child's school. State law requires that parent elections be held by October 15 each year. 

Teachers are nominated and elected by teachers at their school. State law requires that teacher elections be held by October 15 each year.

Students elect student representatives in schools serving grade 9 or higher. State law requires that student elections also be held by October 15 each year. Elementary and middle school SICs may include student representatives on the SIC if they choose to do so.

The school principal appoints community member representatives to the SIC. Interested community members should contact the school principal or SIC Chair for more details.

Each SIC elects its own officers annually – a Chair, a Vice Chair or Co-Chair, and a Secretary. As SICs are not intended to (and should not) hold funds, there is no office of Treasurer. It is the responsibility of the elected SIC Chair to preside over SIC meetings and to work with the principal to develop meeting agendas.

Local SICs are not funded and do not have a budget. SIC representatives serve on a volunteer basis and SICs are not authorized to handle monies or maintain their own bank accounts. SICs can write grant proposals or request monetary or in-kind donations on behalf of their school so long as these are made directly to the school, PTA/PTO, or other authorized organization. SICs can also request that their school or district provide funding for SIC-sponsored initiatives such as family and community engagement events or to cover the cost of training for SIC members. The SC School Improvement Council (SC-SIC), housed within the University of South Carolina College of Education, receives funding annually from the State General Assembly to provide training, resources, materials, and other assistance to local SICs statewide.

• Because when parents are engaged in their children's education, their children do better in school and the quality of the school improves.
• Because parents bring wisdom to the Council. They have in-depth knowledge about their own children's strengths and needs as well as the perspectives of other families in the school.
• Because community members who are NOT parent of children in the schools still benefit from good schools in the form of a stronger local economy and property values.
• Because citizens who are NOT parents of children in the schools also have unique contributions to make to School Improvement Councils. Senior citizens, business people, members of the faith community, staff of social service agencies, and others all have knowledge, experiences and resources that can benefit their community's schools.