Director's Message 11/5/02

     Public Law and DoD policy established a system of advisory councils and boards for both the DoD Dependents Schools (DoDDS) and the DoD Domestic Elementary and Secondary Schools (DDESS) to provide input relating to the governance of our schools. I believe that at the heart of the advisory council process is the School Advisory Committee, often referred to as the SAC. The SAC is comprised of an equal number of educators and parents, as well as several liaison members.

     The primary function of the SAC is to advise the principal, make recommendations, and offer suggestions on educational matters affecting our young people. Such matters include: 1) school policies affecting students and parents; 2) administrative procedures affecting students; 3) instructional programs and educational resources within the school; 4) allocation of resources within the school to achieve educational goals; 5) pupil services such as health, special education, and testing; 6) student standards of conduct and discipline; and 7) other policies and standards related to dependents' education. I feel that the work our SACs are accomplishing is vital to offering a quality education to our school-age dependents.

      School Advisory Committees throughout the Pacific have brought up issues that have had far-reaching outcomes for our system. Two recent examples include the waiver by the College Board of the $15 SAT Overseas Filing Fee for families whose dependents take the SAT, and the 2.0 GPA requirement for students who participate in extracurricular activities.

In addition to the school advisory councils, our system has established advisory councils at the district and area levels. The District Advisory Council (DAC) advises the superintendent on educational matters of interest to the district. My council, the DoDDS Pacific Area Advisory Council (AAC), advises me on educational and logistical issues affecting dependents' education in the Pacific. This council meets twice yearly and is comprised of military command, parent, student, education, and civic organization representatives from the Pacific Theater.

      Our military partners also operate several councils. At the local level, there is the Installation Advisory Council or IAC. This council addresses issues under the jurisdiction of the local commander, such as the physical school environment, transportation of students, school meal programs, medical services, and other administrative and logistical issues. Our schools work closely with their IACs.

      Three other councils, critical to the quality operation of the dependent school system, are the Dependents Education Council (DEC), the Advisory Council on Dependents' Education (ACDE), and the Pacific Theater Education Council (PTEC). The DEC makes recommendation to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Management Policy about issues related to the administration of DoDDS and DDESS, and the delivery of high quality education. General and Flag Officers represent the commanders of Unified Combatant Commands, the major service commands and the Military Services on this council. The ACDE recommends to the Secretary of Defense and the DoDEA director programs and practices that ensure a quality educational system. Members include representatives of education institutions and agencies, professional employee organizations, parents of DoDDS students, and one DoDDS student. The PTEC is composed of Pacific Command Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy representatives. PTEC members work with subordinate command representatives to develop programs for improving dependents' education and provide me with recommendations on valuable initiatives.

      In the Pacific, school support to enhance and improve the delivery of educational programs and support services is a collective effort among parents, educators, sponsors, students, DoD Pacific administrators, and our military partners. I believe the input from our advisory councils is vital to our mission and to the accomplishment of the goals of the DoDEA Community Strategic Plan. I deeply appreciate the time and effort our advisory council members invest in their work to ensure we provide quality educational opportunities for all students, and I invite and encourage the involvement of our school community members in this process.

Nancy C. Bresell
Director, DoDDS Pacific