BHS BSEP/SSC Committee

The Berkeley Schools Excellence Program (BSEP) is a local tax measure that provides 20% of the funding for the Berkeley Public Schools. The School Board passed the BSEP Official Board Resolution in 2016 as measure E1.

In previous years, Berkeley High School (BHS) elected to have a discrete BSEP committee. In the 2020-2021 school year, BSEP combined with the School Site Council (SSC) – a group tasked with approving the budget and allocating state and federal categorical funds – to create BSEP/SSC.

The BSEP/SSC committee is composed of 16 voting members – 4 parents, 4 students, and 8 staff members, including the BHS principal – and alternates. Term-lengths are 1 year. Student representatives are elected through the BHS Election Convention Process.

Video Summary of BSEP

What We Fund

The BSEP measure funds district-wide purposes such as Class Size Reduction, School Site Funds, Libraries, Music, Professional Development, Technology, Evaluation, Public Information, and Parent Outreach. For more information, look at BSEP Funding Categories.

BSEP/SSC student representatives work with the School Site Funds, which are 10.25% of the total BSEP budget. Last year, the BSEP/SSC committee drafted and ratified the 2020-2021 BSEP School Site Program Fund Plan by reviewing the Berkeley High Multi-Year Budget.

BSEP/SSC representatives create a comprehensive School Site Plan by evaluating funding requests from organizations, clubs, and school departments. BSEP funds given to these groups are intended for direct student services and activities – including arts and sciences instruction, academic tutoring and counseling, athletics and student activities, and before and after school programs.

Our Goals

The BSEP/SSC committee uses a variety of criteria in making its evaluations. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) goals are central to these criteria and are detailed in the Revised School-Wide Action Plan. The most recent WASC Goals are:

• Data Collection, Analysis, and Utilization to Improve Student Outcomes
• Academic support and professional development for Math 1, 2, and 3
• Socioemotional well-being of students
• Technology Site Objectives

More about WASC goals can be found on the BUSD WASC/SPSA Webpage.

Additionally, BSEP/SSC members consider equity, academic outcomes, enrichment opportunities, evidence, students served, accessibility, fiscal responsibility, and the possibility of outside funding sources when determining the funding plan.

Example Proposal

Other BSEP/SSC Responsibilities

BSEP/SSC representatives review BHS educational programs and student achievement data and support the development of the school-wide Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) as part of the accreditation process. BSEP/SSC also approves the School Safety Plan.

Student BSEP/SSC representatives also serve as Student Senate members. More information about the Student Senate can be found at BHS Leadership Job Descriptions 2020-2021 and on the Leadership Constitution (for Student Senate description and mission).

The School Committee Handbook (starting at page 34), BSEP Summary and BHS SSC Bylaws are great resources for learning more about the purpose and the agenda of the BSEP/SSC committee.