Standard Operating Procedures School Finance Committee. Policy Section Approved by BOD DATE

Transcription

1 Standard Operating Procedures School Finance Committee Policy Section Approved by BOD DATE I. Policy Below are the required policies associated with the School Finance Committee (SFC). The Policy section of the Standard Operating Procedures may be revised by majority vote of the SFC. Any such revision(s) to the Policy section of the SFC Standard Operating Procedures will be forwarded by the Chair to the Board of Directors (BOD) for consideration/approval. A. Enabling Resolution or Authority and Charge EB resolved that a standing School Finance Committee be established; and further resolved, that the Committee be charged with making recommendations to and working with the National Office staff to: (a) develop strategies and initiatives to ensure appropriate coverage and reimbursement for audiology and speech-language pathology services to children in schools; (b) help ASHA members better identify and understand the complex and multiple funding processes involved in school-based services from federal, state, and local perspectives; (c) assure that the strategic finance needs and interests of both ASHA member audiologists and speech-language pathologists in school-based settings be considered and represented in the Association's annual public policy agenda; and (d) make referrals to other ASHA committees and boards for input, consideration, or action as appropriate on school finance issues of concern to ASHA members that relate to practice, research, academics, and credentialing activities of the Association; and further resolved, that the Committee consist of six voting members with particular expertise in local, state, and national school finance matters and appointed to serve 3-year staggered terms, and one National Office staff to serve as an ex-officio member without vote; and further resolved, that at least one of the appointed members be an educational audiologist. B. Related Resolutions Initially the SFC was established on a pilot basis as stated in EB : Resolved, that a School Finance Subcommittee of the Government Relations and Public Policy Board be established on a pilot basis; and further resolved that the charge of the committee be to provide information, develop resources and advise the GRPP Board and GRPP staff regarding local, state, and national school finance issues; and further resolved that the subcommittee consist of five ASHA members with particular expertise in local, state, and national school finance matters; the effectiveness of the subcommittee will be evaluated by the GRPP Board and GRPP staff and the results reported to the Executive Board by October 30, Based on the evaluation results, it was recommended that the SFC be established as a standing committee and EB (see A. above) was adopted. A standing Medicaid Subcommittee was approved in the fall of 2011 and was constituted in January of BOD requires that a member of the School Finance Committee serve as one of members of the Medicaid Subcommittee as follows: RESOLVED, That the American 1

2 Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) establish a 5-person Health Care Economics Medicaid Subcommittee of the Health Care Economics Committee to address speech-language pathology and audiology coverage and payment issues; and further RESOLVED, That the constitution of the Medicaid Subcommittee include audiologists and speech-language pathologists with specific knowledge of the problems with Medicaid services in health care and educational settings. The committee should include a member of the Health Care Economics Committee and a member of the School Finance Committee; and further RESOLVED, That the Subcommittee s work be conducted using one annual face-to-face meeting at the ASHA National Office, a meeting at the ASHA Annual Convention, conference calls, a collaboration site, and e- mail; and further RESOLVED, That the Subcommittee be under the guidance of the vice president for government relations and public policy. Either a representative of the School Finance Committee or a State Education Advocacy Leader (SEAL) will serve on the Speech-Language Pathology School Issues Advisory Board effective January (Previously this was an Ad Hoc Committee which also included a representative from the SFC.) BOD , Resolved, that the Ad Hoc Committee on Speech-Language Pathology School Issues transition to the Speech-Language Pathology School Issues Advisory Board to advise the Board of Directors and be charged to identify and monitor critical issues, forecast needs and trends, provide expertise in the development of resources, and recommend actions that support and enhance the work of school-based practitioners; effective January 2015, and further Resolved, that the Advisory Board comprise seven speech-language pathologists, with the following affiliations: Two at-large representatives who are practicing speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in a K- 12 organization - one of whom with 10 years or less experience, One representative from Special Interest Group 16, School-Based Issues, One representative and member when the term of office begins of either the School Finance Committee or the State Education Advocacy Leaders (SEALs), One member from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) volunteer pool with school experience/expertise who has not yet served, with preference given to ASHA s Leadership Development Program graduates if no one meeting the requirement is available to serve, the position would be an at-large representative, One representative who currently supervises school personnel or programs (i.e., special education supervisor, speech/language program supervisor, school superintendent or assistant superintendent, state department of education speech/language program consultant), One representative expert who has researched, published, and presented on critical topics of school practice; and further Resolved, that members of the ad hoc committee be provided with the opportunity to serve on the Advisory Board as follows: The supervisory representative and one of the practitioners each serve a 1-year term, One practitioner and the representative from the volunteer pool/leadership Development Program serve a two year term, Remaining members serve 3-year terms, The committee chair chairs the Advisory Board for a 2-year term, after which time, the Board selects as chair a member who has served at least 1 year on the Board; the chair s term of service becomes 3 years and includes voting rights; if the current committee members do not wish to transition to the board, a slate of new members will be submitted to the ASHA Board of Directors (B)D) for approval; and further, 2

3 Resolved, that ASHA s Vice President for Speech-Language Pathology Practice serve as the BOD liaison. C. Composition There are 6 members of the SFC at least one of which must be an educational audiologist. Committee members are selected based on their understanding and experience with school funding mechanisms at the local, state and federal level. D. Fiduciary Responsibilities Members of the SFC will be oriented to their fiduciary responsibilities annually. E. Term of Office The term of office for SFC members will be 3 years. Members terms will be staggered so as to ensure the required membership composition. Typically, two committee members are appointed annually with two (one-third) committee members terms expiring annually. F. Service Eligibility Requirements The requirement for participation on the SFC is that each member must be either an SLP or educational audiologist and have a school setting background. Experience with and understanding of school funding mechanisms are highly desired. Committee members are typically selected from educational practice settings as direct service providers, supervisors, special education administrators or state education consultants. G. Nomination and Appointment Procedures for Service on the SFC Members are nominated following a search of the volunteer pool and suggestions from current and former committee members. Approximately ten candidates are presented to the chair. The ex-officio requests a letter of interest and resume from the 5 top choices which are presented to the VP for GRPP during a conference call with the committee chair and ex-officio. The field is narrowed to the top 2-3 candidates based on qualifications as well as diversity in geographic region, gender, ethnicity, and other relevant factors. Two choices and an alternate are inputted into NetForum for review and confirmation by the Committee on Committees (COC). H. Chair The chair drafts the agenda for each meeting with the ex-officio, conducts the meetings and conference calls, ensures that committee members are fully engaged and that the work of the committee, based on the strategic plan and annual work plan, is completed in a timely manner. The chair assigns tasks to committee members, serves as the spokesperson for the committee as needed and prepares the final report. The chair and the ex-officio conduct the new member orientation each fall. The chair works with the ex-officio and board liaison to select a slate of new committee members and an incoming committee chair. The chair reviews and approves the proposed committee budget annually. The Chair serves a one year term typically during their final (third) year of service and cannot be reappointed. The chair works with the ex-officio and 3

4 board liaison to identify and appoint an incoming committee chair. The chair has full voting rights and serves as both a member and the chair of the committee. In the event that the chair resigns or needs to be replaced, the board liaison and ex-officio would select a replacement from the existing committee members and the position of the committee member assuming the chairpersonship would be replaced by the same process used to identify and select committee members. I. Vice Chair The committee s structure and function do not include the role of vice-chair. J. Board of Directors Liaison The Vice President for Government Relations and Public Policy of the ASHA BOD will serve as liaison to the School Finance Committee. The BOD Liaison will participate in the deliberations of the SFC. K. Vacancies A vacancy occurring on the SFC will be filled by the committee chair, BOD Liaison and ex officio recommending a replacement to the COC for their consideration and final approval. L. Non Participation in Committee Activities Each member of the SFC will be notified of the Operational Procedures of the SFC and the schedule of events necessary to carry out their charge. In the event a member of the SFC fails to meet the designated expectations and responsibilities, the Chair of the SFC will resolve the matter with the member. Situations will be handled on a case by case basis. If the situation is not resolved satisfactorily, the individual may be asked to resign from the committee. In the event that the nonparticipation is by the Chair of the SFC, the case should be handled by the SFC members in consultation with the BOD Liaison and ASHA President. M. Annual Report Requirements The Chair of the SFC will provide an annual report to the BOD Liaison by December 31. N. Conformance to Governance Documents The SFC will conform to their Operational Procedures, ASHA Bylaws, and all other governing documents of the Association. Per the ASHA Bylaws: o The Chief Executive Officer (or designee) will serve as an ex officio nonvoting member, unless otherwise stipulated, of all committees, boards, and councils established by the Board of Directors. 4

5 O. Review of Operational Procedures The Operational Procedures of the SFC will be reviewed annually by the committee and, if necessary, revised and submitted to the BOD for their consideration. *** 5

6 Standard Operating Procedures School Finance Committee II. Guidelines This section includes additional guidance to assist the SFC in completing its charge. Any recommended changes to the Guidelines section of the SFC Standard Operating Procedures may be made by the members of the SFC and do not require approval by the BOD. A. Role and Responsibilities of the Chair The chair drafts the agenda for each meeting with the ex-officio, conducts the meetings and conference calls, ensures that committee members are fully engaged and that the work of the committee, based on the strategic plan and annual work plan, is completed in a timely manner. The chair assigns tasks to committee members, serves as the spokesperson for the committee as needed and prepares the final report. The chair and the ex-officio conduct the new member orientation each fall. The chair works with the ex-officio and board liaison to select a slate of new committee members and an incoming committee chair. The chair reviews and approves the proposed committee budget annually. B. Role and Responsibilities of the Vice-Chair The committee s structure and function do not include the role of vice-chair. C. Role and Responsibilities of the BOD Liaison The BOD Liaison attends all committee meetings and conference calls, provides a report on the activities of the BOD at each meeting and fully participates in the discussions and activities of the committee but does not vote. The board liaison works with the committee chair and ex-officio to select an incoming committee member slate and to identify a chair for the coming year. D. Role and Responsibilities of the Ex Officio The ex-officio works closely with the chair to prepare the agenda, draft and finalize the annual work plan, ensure that committee members have access to and an understanding of the SFC share point site. The ex-officio helps the chair ensure that the activities of the committee are completed in a timely fashion according to the strategic plan and annual work plan. The ex-officio executes the logistics of the committee meetings, provides conference call information, participates fully in committee discussions but does not vote. The ex-officio works with the committee chair and the board liaison to select an incoming committee member slate and to identify a chair for the coming year. The ex-officio locates potential committee appointees, provides potential candidates with an overview of the committee and position and compiles resume information for the chair and board liaison. E. Committee Composition: The SFC follows a process to ensure a diverse range of members are recommended to the Committee on Committees for appointment consideration. The below criteria are used to the extent possible when considering candidates to recommend for committee appointment. Work Setting: The position requires committee members to work in a school setting or education environment (examples include: direct service provider, SLP supervisor, special education administrator, state education consultant). State or Geographic Region: Geographic distribution is an important consideration for the SFC so that a variety of regional perspectives are represented. (For example, the 2014 SFC 6

7 membership consisted of individuals from Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oregon, and Virginia.) Profession: At least one member needs to be an educational audiologist. Race/Ethnicity/Gender: Race, ethnicity and gender are important considerations for committee participation. Consideration of Leadership Development Program /Minority Student Leadership Program graduates: Graduates with experience in school funding/finance issues are considered for committee membership. (For example, the 2012 SFC Chair was an LDP graduate.) One member of the committee is selected by the SFC to serve on the Medicaid Committee. The individual s term on the Medicaid Committee as a representative of the SFC may not exceed the individual s term on the SFC. Depending on the composition of the Speech-Language Pathology School Issues Advisory Board, either an SLP on the SFC or a SEAL (State Education Advocacy Leader) holds one of the seven positions on that board. The SLP is selected by the Committee on Committees via a motion submitted by the VP for SLP Practice. Should the SLP s term on the SFC expire during their term representing the SFC on the School Issues Advisory Board, it is critical that a communication plan be implemented involving input from the SFC as well as information and updates from the School Issues Advisory Board. F. General Information The chair is responsible for developing the agenda with the ex-officio and conducting the meeting. A member is appointed for note taking. Decisions are made via consensus or by vote and reflected in the meeting minutes. All committee members are expected to fully participate in all meetings and are generally assigned or volunteer to participate in activities based on the strategic plan and annual work plan. Meetings are conducted regularly throughout the year with participation by committee members, the exofficio, board liaison and member of ASHA School Services team on a consultation basis. 7

8 Standard Operating Procedures ASHA School Finance Committee III. National Office Operations This section includes the administrative and logistical aspects of the work of the SFC over which the National Office Ex Officio has oversight. Any recommended changes to the Operations section of the SFC Standard Operating Procedures may be made by the Ex Officio and do not require approval of the voting members of the SFC. The Ex Officio is a full (non-voting) member of the SFC and serves in this capacity due to his/her expertise in school funding and leading edge practices within the Association industry as well as his/her knowledge of overall Association policies, procedures, and programmatic history. The ex officio may participate fully in all discussions and deliberations of the Committee in addition to the provision of factual information and clarifications as needed. Ex officios for certain committees, boards or councils (such as the CNE or COH) may be limited to factual and process information. Technology The National Office will select the technology that will be used by the SFC to conduct their business. Budget Develop and manage budget(s) to conduct the business of the SFC and present to the committee chair for approval. 8