District Community Advisory Teams Handbook - Standard Operating Procedures APPROVED: April 5, 2021 - Fort Bend ISD
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Standard Operating Procedures District Community Advisory Teams Handbook APPROVED: April 5, 2021
Table of Contents
Policy Cross Reference Sheet .......................................................................................................................2
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................4
Philosophy ...................................................................................................................................................4
Overview .......................................................................................................................................................5
CAT Membership ..........................................................................................................................................6
Meeting Background & Structure .................................................................................................................8
Timeline ........................................................................................................................................................9
Exhibit 1: Agenda Example .........................................................................................................................10
Exhibit 2: Meeting Summary Example........................................................................................................11
District Community Advisory Teams Handbook
3 Approved 04.05.2021Introduction
Philosophy
The Board believes that the highest levels of student success are best attained in a well-functioning, high-
performing collaborative community of learners. Fort Bend Independent School District (FBISD) shall
collaborate and partner with the community to support students to develop Profile of a Graduate
attributes and to improve student outcomes and student achievement. Partnerships with the community
are vital to the development of a true collaborative community with the District and within campuses and
feeder patterns.
District Community Advisory Teams Handbook
4 Approved 04.05.2021Overview
Background
Obtaining constructive feedback from key community stakeholders is one of the high-level priorities for
FBISD. It is vital to bring the community together to address key topics and help the District achieve
transformative and collective impact in the community and across the District. In May 2019, the Board of
Trustees adopted GK Policy Local to promote partnerships to inform, consult, collaborate and partner
with key stakeholders in the community including: parents/guardians, nonprofit agencies, local business
and industry, interfaith agencies, and community organizations. Partnerships and collaborations shall
support the objectives and goals of the District and campus(es) and shall align with the Profile of a
Graduate attributes.
Community Advisory Teams
Recognizing that needs vary across the District and by feeder pattern, the
District will extend the “Inform, Consult, Collaborate, Partner” concept Inform
outlined within GK Policy Local to create Community Advisory Teams
(CATs) to discuss and seek feedback on key topics that align with District
Partner
goals and objectives. CATs will serve in an advisory capacity to help
identify gaps in resources needed to support student learning and
Consult
Contribution
development and inform the District’s efforts to address student and Levels
community needs.
CATs will be created for each feeder pattern to obtain feedback on key
topics that are of importance to the District and understand specific needs, Collaborate
challenges and opportunities within each feeder pattern. The intended
outcome includes CAT members being well-informed on fundamental needs in
their feeder pattern through a series of quarterly meetings.
There is an intentional effort to ensure that the CATs include robust student and teacher engagement.
This is evidenced by both middle school and high school student membership on CATs and teacher
membership on the CAT as well as the opportunity for teachers to serve as breakout room facilitators.
Composition
CATs will include a core and diverse set of individuals representing campuses and District-approved
groups within the feeder pattern and the community as illustrated in Table 1 below. Stakeholder groups
include campus and instructional staff and leaders, members from Campus Planning Advisory
Committees (which serve in an advisory role to the Principal), community members (e.g., health entities,
local businesses, non-profit organizations), parents (e.g., parent organizations, volunteers) and secondary
students. The recommended number and / or ratio for each stakeholder group are listed within the table.
The District recommends no more than 50 members within each CAT to ensure that shared dialogue
within each CAT meets the intended purpose and goals.
District Community Advisory Teams Handbook
5 Approved 04.05.2021CAT Membership
Stakeholders Total Number of Members per
Stakeholder Group
District Administrator (acting in role of facilitator) 1 facilitator
Facilitators can include staff from:
• Department of School Leadership
• Department of Collaborative Communities
• Department of Organizational Transformation
• Department of Social & Emotional Learning and Comprehensive
Health
Campus instructional staff & leaders 1 member per campus within the
This may include individuals from the following positions: feeder
• Teachers (Ranges from 6-12)
• Counselors
• Other professional staff
• Campus administrator
Campus Planning Advisory Committee (CPAC) members 1 member per campus
• These members must also be parents at the school as this group is (Ranges from 6-12)
serving in a dual role (CPAC member and parent)
Community members 5 members (at least)
This may include individuals from the following sectors and groups:
• Health entity
• Interfaith entity
• Institutions of higher education
• Local business
• Non-profit organization
Parents 1 member per campus within the
This includes parents who have also served (but not limited) to the following feeder
groups: (Ranges from 6-12)
• Parent organizations (PTO, PTA, Booster Club, etc.)
• Volunteer / VIPS
Students 6 total members
Students should exhibit the District’s Profile of a Graduate attributes. This (2 from the MS feeder campus/es)
includes but is not limited to students involved in: (4 from the HS feeder campus)
• Campus extracurricular activities and clubs (ex: volunteering,
athletics, fine arts, etc.)
Totals Maximum of 50 members *
(Note: This does not include the
District facilitator)
District Community Advisory Teams Handbook
6 Approved 04.05.2021Recruitment & Selection
CAT members will be selected utilizing a thorough, objective approach to ensure diverse representation
for each feeder pattern community. The District will work closely with the Communications team to
disseminate messaging and garner interest from campuses and the community. Individuals interested in
serving on the CAT will be asked to complete an application that will include questions related to their
interest in serving on the committee, the feeder pattern they would like to represent and their
experience supporting District and campus efforts. To ensure thorough student awareness of the
opportunity to serve on a CAT, Collaborative Communities will collaborate with District Departments
(DSL, Student Leadership, etc.) to ensure multiple communication venues are employed (Schoology
communication, campus newsletter/announcements, engaging with Student Voices, etc.).
A District-appointed staff and leadership team will review and assess each application and begin building
out the CATs by feeder pattern with a lens on ensuring a diverse committee that represents the
community and feeder pattern as broadly as possible. In the event there is insufficient membership
within the feeder, the District will employ a nomination and / or referral process to ensure equity across
all CATs with regard to numbers and participation within each group. In addition, the District will leverage
support from existing stakeholder groups and committees (e.g., parent organizations, School Health
Advisory Council, Volunteers in Public Schools, Gifted and Talented Advisory, etc.) to further promote
and raise awareness.
Roles & Responsibilities
CAT Members
• Attend all scheduled CAT meetings (approximately 4 times per year)
• Be an active participant in the CAT meetings
• Carefully and thoughtfully review the CAT meeting agendas in advance of the meetings and engage in
productive dialogue with advisory team members
• Remain objective to ensure that the CAT prioritizes the needs of students both District-wide (on
District-specific topics) and within the feeder pattern (for feeder pattern-specific topics)
District
• Provide ongoing and consistent communication regarding District goals, objectives and strategic
priorities
• Assign committed District leaders to facilitate the CATs in each feeder pattern and provide additional
staff as needed to serve as a resource during each meeting
• Schedule quarterly meetings and establish key meeting norms
• Assess campus needs across the District to help inform meeting agendas and prioritize support
needed for all feeder patterns
District Community Advisory Teams Handbook
7 Approved 04.05.2021Meeting Background & Structure
The CATs will meet approximately quarterly each academic school year to provide strategic guidance and
insight on designated District topics. In addition, topics specific to a feeder pattern can also be
discussed/addressed at these meetings. To establish consistency and alignment across each CAT, there
will be a window of time established for each CAT to conduct the quarterly meetings (e.g., first two
weeks of the month).
The primary aim of the meetings is to ensure that every community has a voice. Through ongoing
dialogue, the District aims to have a deeper level of engagement with the community to understand
unique needs within each feeder pattern and receive input on key topics identified by District leadership.
Agenda items could include:
• The feeder pattern’s “Hopes and Dreams” which can include processing data and providing
feedback on select District surveys
• What is currently working well for students, staff and the community?
• What is not working well for students, staff and the community?
• Key questions from the Community Based Accountability Survey (CBAS)
• Other topics as identified by District staff that could help inform District strategic planning efforts
and initiatives.
Meeting Facilitation
Each CAT meeting will have a District-appointed facilitator to lead the meeting, ensure adherence to the
established agenda and associated discussion topics and provide ongoing support. While subject to
change, all meetings will occur in a virtual platform utilizing Zoom and breakout rooms to promote
deeper discussion.
Breakout Room Facilitation
Professional staff across the District will be provided a leadership opportunity to serve as a District-
appointed facilitator for small group / breakout room discussions among CAT members. This is an
intentional opportunity by the District to support leadership development in teachers and staff members
by investing in them with training on best practices and facilitation techniques. Professional staff
(including but not limited to: campus administration, teachers, counselors, etc.) will be asked to self-
nominate through submission of an online application form for consideration. Principal input will also
factor into the selection of facilitators.
Communication Feedback
Meeting summary and next steps will be shared with CATs and posted on the District website within one
week after each meeting.
District Community Advisory Teams Handbook
8 Approved 04.05.2021Timeline
Date Action
February 2021 Procedures brought to E-team for approval
Week of March 29, 2021 Collaborative Communities/DSL notifies principals via PLCs and e-
mail communication
Week of April 5, 2021 Collaborative Communities to send second follow-up notification to
principals
Week of April 19, 2021 Communications Department to share opportunity with community
at-large (e.g., Blackboard, social media, newsletter); Collaborative
Communities to share opportunity with key stakeholders (e.g., VIPS,
parent organizations, interfaith, etc.)
April 19-30, 2021 Application window;
Communications to send reminders about end submission date
April 30, 2021 Application submission closes April 30 at 11:59pm
Week of May 3, 2021 Collaborative Communities reviews applications received
May 10-14, 2021 Implement supplemental nomination window (in the event of
insufficient membership for a feeder pattern/s); Outreach to
Principals (as necessary) for student and staff membership
May 17-21, 2021 District-committee to review applications
Week of May 31, 2021 Notify CAT members of acceptance
July / August 2021 Communication to remind CATs of role, expectation and planned
meetings for the year
All dates below are tentative
Late August/early September 2021 Kick-Off Meeting
September 20-October 1, 2021 CAT Meeting 1
November 29-December 10, 2021 CAT Meeting 2
February 1-12, 2022 CAT Meeting 3
April 5-16, 2022 CAT Meeting 4: Close-Out
District Community Advisory Teams Handbook
9 Approved 04.05.2021Exhibit 1: Agenda Example
AGENDA
Community Advisory Team
Feeder
Community Advisory Teams (CATs) serve in an advisory capacity to Fort Bend Independent School District
to help identify gaps in resources to support student learning and development and inform the District’s
efforts to address student and community needs.
PM Welcome District Facilitator
PM Agenda Item 1
PM Agenda Item 2
PM Agenda Item 3
Adjournment
Upcoming Meetings
• November 2021 (insert window):
• February 2022
• April 2022
District Community Advisory Teams Handbook
10 Approved 04.05.2021Exhibit 2: Meeting Summary Example
MEETING SUMMARY
Community Advisory Team
Feeder
Community Advisory Teams (CATs) serve in an advisory capacity to Fort Bend ISD to help identify gaps in
resources to support student learning and development and inform the District’s efforts to address
student and community needs. The following agenda items encompass feedback from the meeting
discussion. Please complete all sections, if possible, to guide the intended outcomes.
(provide example to show each CAT what is expected)
Create a table for each agenda item
Agenda Item 1:
• Best Practices:
• Challenges / Barriers:
• Expected Outcome:
• Action Steps:
• Overall recommendation:
• Level of support:
District Community Advisory Teams Handbook
11 Approved 04.05.2021You can also read
