Catholic school advisory boards exist to advise Catholic educators in providing academic and religious programs for students. Advisory boards are canonically advisory in nature, advisory to the superintendent and principal on the diocesan level and to the pastor and principal on the elementary level. All School Advisory Boards should participate in Board Training facilitated by the Office of Catholic Schools. The structure, role, and function of the School Advisory Board should never be confused with that of a public school board.

Bylaws should be developed for all advisory boards and must be approved by the pastor (parochial schools) or superintendent (diocesan schools) before implementation. All bylaws must be filed with the Office of Catholic Schools. School Advisory Boards may be dissolved by the pastor at a parochial school or by the bishop at a diocesan school.

Each diocesan secondary school shall have a School Advisory Board. This board shall be composed of the pastors of the parishes whose students attend the high school (except St. Charles, which will have representative pastors) and representative laypersons. The principal of the high school may act as executive secretary of the board. The superintendent serves as the representative of the bishop on all high school advisory boards. As such, he/she must be included in all board communication, invitations, and other board-related business.

Catholic school advisory boards operate most effectively when they perform in all of the following roles:

• Advise: in areas in which the principal requests advice, feedback, and information.
• Policymaking: assist in the development of local policies and procedures when a Diocesan policy does not exist.
• Committees: form and participate in committee service that extends the administration’s abilities and supports the mission of the school.

The advisory board’s functions could include but are not limited to:

• setting goals for itself and for the educational program; – participating in the evaluation of the educational program;
• participating in a principal hiring committee;
• advising on formation of local policies;
• participating in the creation of the operational budget and proposals for capital expenditures;
• receiving and reviewing quarterly financial reports of the school’s income and expenditures to date;
• advising the principal upon request; and
• promoting Catholic education within the community

School Advisory Boards have no role in:

• hiring, firing, or evaluating staff (e.g. teachers, school guidance counselors, coaches);
• making or changing school regulations;
• student discipline or any issue relating to students and/or families;
• budget approval;
• authorizing capital expenditures;
• selecting textbooks or deciding other specifics of the educational program.

Administrator’s Manual • Diocese of Columbus Catholic Schools
Revision History: 06/88, 06/93, 08/98, 08/03, 08/08, 08/13, 7/23