Our district advocates the use of consensus when SAC must make a decision. What is consensus?
Some SACs use voting extensively and some SACs have been using consensus for years. Both are forms of decisionmaking. A city council or school board would be crippled if they used consensus. It takes time. A lot of time. Consensus essentially asks this: “can we LIVE with the decision – we may not agree totally with it but can we LIVE with it”. The dictionary defines consensus as “general agreement”. Consensus definitely is not voting. SAC is instructed through law to be the final “decisonmaker” in SIP and SI funds. We assist with school budgets. Decisonmaking can be by consensus or vote. Consensus does not use secret ballots, votes or codes, nor does it use abstentions, it can be recorded via video tape or audio tape, it is noted in minutes, and the meeting already ‘in the sunshine’ if public notice is given. DOE SAC training the trainer ADVOCATES, RECOMMENDS & TRAINS Trainers how to achieve consensus if possible. Consensus has been a staple of training for years – the districts have b
