6 Basic Steps For Highly Effective Building Committees

Click here for a Building Committee note-taking template

1. Solicit concerns from staff

• Notify staff of organizational meeting and who is serving on the Building Committee.
• Allow members to submit concerns anonymously, to any member of the Committee.
• Establish a deadline for submitting concerns.

2. Organizational meeting

• Select the chairperson.
• Review concerns submitted by the staff and prioritize them.
• Set aside inappropriate concerns (i.e., conflict between staff members or issues that must be bargained).
• Develop consensus on positions, potential solutions, priorities, and the agenda for the meeting with your principal.
• Determine which committee members will speak to each concern.
• Develop an agenda – limit it to a few items.
• Select a note-taker.
• Distribute agenda to staff.

3. Set meeting

• Give principal a copy of the agenda.
• Establish a mutually convenient time to meet.
• Agree upon a neutral location.
• Do not discuss items or details with the principal prior to the meeting.

4. Meet with the principal

• The committee chair facilitates the meeting.
• The principal may have the assistant principal in the meeting.
• Present the agenda items with details, specific examples, and propose solutions.
• Take comprehensive notes.
• Obtain commitments for follow-up from the principal – with specific steps and deadlines.

5. Communicate to the staff

• Provide a written report to the staff.
• The report should not be edited by the principal.
• Publish victories.
• If your school is receiving ongoing support from an MTEA staff member, send him/her a copy of the report.

6. Follow-up

• Hold the principal to his/her commitments and deadlines.
• Begin next committee meeting with a review of the previous agenda items and resolutions.
• If you experience major and/or persistent problems, contact an MTEA staff member for advice and support.