School Community Council (SCC)

School Community Councils

What is a School Community Council (SCC)? 

In Utah, every public school has a School Community Council (SCC). An SCC is a group of parents, school staff, and the principal who work together to support student learning and school improvement. SCCs are required by law at each school, and they are an important way for parents to have a voice in addressing academic needs at their child’s school. 

Who’s on the Council, and How do I Become a Member?  

Each SCC includes: 

• The school principal 
• At least one school employee 
• Parents or guardians of current students 

Parents are elected to be part of the SCC. SCC elections are usually held in early fall. If you want to be part of your school’s SCC, talk to your principal about how to get involved! 

What Does the SCC Do? 

SCCs help schools by: 

• reviewing student achievement data, 
• identifying the school’s top academic needs, 
• deciding how the school will spend its allotted LAND Trust funds, 
• creating the School LAND Trust Plan, 
• giving input on the Teacher and Student Success Act (TSSA) Plan, 
• discussing school safety, digital citizenship, and behavior programs, and 
• sharing updates on budgets and plans with the public. 

What Are School LAND Trust Funds? 

These funds come from Utah’s school trust lands and are distributed annually to every public school in the state. Each School Community Council determines how their school's share of these funds is used. Usually, SCCs choose to use their LAND trust funds to support classroom instruction, to pay for academic support programs, or to purchase technology that enhances learning. 

These funds are: 

• Locally controlled by each SCC 
• Dedicated entirely to student academic improvement 
• Often the only flexible funding schools receive 

Why Parent Participation Matters 

When parents are involved in their child’s school: 

• students do better,  
• schools make smarter decisions (because we have your input!), and 
• families and schools work better together 

You don’t need special training; just a willingness to share your perspective, ask questions, and speak up for students. 

Other Ways to Get Involved With Your School’s SCC 

• Attend SCC meetings. These are public meetings, and everyone is welcome to attend.  
• Encourage others get involved with SCC. If you don’t have the bandwidth to run for office, encourage others to run. When you make plans to attend a meeting, bring a fellow parent friend with you. 

School Community Councils (SCCs) improve educational programs and conditions at public schools. Councils operate using the shared governance approach: collaborative, site-based decision making to meet individual school improvement goals. Every public school in Utah has a community council consisting of two elected members that include student guardians, school staff, and school administrators.

The Highland Park SCC has responsibilities defined both by the Salt Lake City School District and the Utah Legislature. Two of our biggest responsibilities are assisting in the development of School Improvement Plans (SIPs) and LAND Trust Plans. SCCs also work on issues brought forth by guardians, staff, and faculty (local examples are school walking safety and arts funding). Members of the School Community Council will get to help decide how to spend the $76,633.88 for this year's Land Trust Plan.

We hold elections in September of each year electronically with at least 10 days of notice via school-level communication with the current Highland Park community.  A link to an electronic form will be sent asking community members to put their name forward.  If there are more community members that put their name forward than seats available, a vote will occur through another electronic form. Electronic member election process for the 2025-2026 school year was officially completed on September 30, 2025.  Our SCC voted to appoint seven new members in accordance with state law.  Members will be trained about their responsibilities on November 20,2025.  Rules of Order and Procedure will be updated during the SCC meeting held on October 23, 2025.