GOVERNANCE
COUNCIL
Palisades Charter High School Governance Council
Meeting Minutes, July 22, 2003
Present: Steve Burr, Linda Ello-Kay, Sandra Martin, Ruth Mills,
Minh Ha Ngo, Cheryl Onoye, Cynthia Block, Lorelei McDevitt, Jeraldine
Patterson, Karen Sklar, Rose Gilbert, Usha Brooks, Sally Zhen, Austin,
Ahn, Whitney Curtis, Linda Hosford
Guests: Jonathan Fielding, Cindy Gauger (present during closed
session at the request of the Council)
The quorum requirement was met and the meeting was called to order
at 6:25 p.m. for the closed session portion of the meeting.
Cindy Gauger of ExEd reviewed the search procedure for the position
of Chief Business Officer and Mr. Beaubien s resume and references.
He was the first choice of the hiring committee. Mr. Beaubien
was given the opportunity to answer questions for the Council and
discussion followed. Cynthia Block made a motion that Mr.
Beaubien be offered the position of CBO, subject to a clear background
and credit check and a further reference check of his position at
the MTA. Sandra Martin seconded the motion and the motion
carried by consensus. The hiring committee and ExEd will meet
to negotiate the salary and benefits for the offer and will make
a recommendation to the council.
Linda Ello-Kay presented financial information related to changing
the position of Executive Director to a year-round position.
This position would then also be responsible for the administration
of summer school in 2004. Ruth Mills made a motion to change
the position of executive director to year-round. The motion
was seconded by Jeraldine Patterson and passed by consensus.
The meeting was opened to the public at 7:40 p.m. The minutes
from the 6/25 and 7/15 meetings were approved with no additions
or corrections. The motion to accept was made by Cheryl Onoye
and seconded by Ruth Mills. Both were approved by consensus.
Ruth Mills volunteered to be the timekeeper and time limits were
set.
Public Speakers:
Cindy Gauger: She gave an ExEd status report. We have
received a $300,000 start-up loan from the District, which should
be in our account in the next day or so. The first state payout
of funds is scheduled for the end of July. Copies of the insurance
rider were circulated. We currently have $5 million in coverage
and have requested an additional $5 million. We should still
be within our insurance budget. The payroll, being done by ADP,
is almost ready to go. We have been issued Workers
Compensation insurance effective 7/01/03. ExEd is still working
with the county to set up our accounts. Ms. Gauger requested
that she, as a consultant of ExEd, be added to our accounts as a
signatory so that she will have access to our account to monitor
the receipt of fund and other transactions. A second signature
would still be required for access to the funds. Ruth made
a motion that she be added to our accounts, which was seconded by
Karen Sklar. The motion passed by consensus.
Jonathan Fielding: He asked that ExEd s contract should
be negotiated as soon as possible so that they could be paid for
all the services that they have provided to Pali. He also
volunteered to assist with the negotiations for the CBO position.
Mr. Fielding reported regarding the 7/21 Ad Hoc meeting regarding
the 501C3 plan. He received a written report and also had
a discussion with the attorney. This item needs to be put
on the agenda for the next regular meeting.
Howard Gould: His first concern was that timely notice of
meetings be given. This will allow people to plan their schedules
and attend meetings. His second concern was that parent participation
would decrease due to concerns about the liability issue if we continue
under the present form of governance. Mr. Gould s third
concern was with the changes being made to the ninth grade program.
There is very little information in the community and parents are
concerned. The education plan for next year needs to be made
public and time for discussion given. It was noted that there
is a meeting of the Education Committee on 8/04/03 1:00
p.m. in Rm. D105.
Old Business:
Food Services Contract: Our attorney has seen the proposed
contract with Sodexho and no comments have been received.
There was discussion and some minor changes recommended in the contract.
Ruth Mills made a motion that the contract with Sodexho be accepted,
subject to satisfactory resolution of contract issues. The
motion was seconded by Minh Ha Ngo and passed by consensus (4 abstentions).
Professional Development Calendar: There was discussion and
a change of date suggested (3/15/04 date moved to 3/22/04).
Ruth Mills made a motion to accept the proposed calendar, with the
change. It was seconded by Sandra Martin and passed by consensus.
Subcommittee Reports:
Policy Committee: Current version and proposed version of
the Dress Code were presented to the council. There was discussion.
Ruth Mills made a motion to accept the Dress Code as revised by
the Policy Committee. Cynthia Block seconded the motion.
After further discussion, Ms. Mills called for the question.
The vote was 11 in favor, 1 opposed and 1 abstention. The
motion passed. The Policy Committee also recommended some
changes in the language of the Code of Conduct and the referral
procedure. Jeraldine Patterson made a motion to accept the
changes recommended in the Code of Conduct. The motion was
seconded by Linda Ello-Kay and passed by consensus.
Communications Committee: Margaret Evans is working on consolidating
all Pali websites. The estimated cost is about
$321. She will proceed. She is also working on setting
up town hall meetings to disperse information to the community.
She would like each committee to prepare a list of frequently asked
questions (and answers) to hand out and also that each committee
commit to having members present at these meetings to respond to
community concerns. The meetings will be set for 8/12
8/14. One meeting will be at Pali and another will be offsite.
Ms. Evans is working with Los Angeles High School for the use of
their facilities. Parent Orientation (for new Pali students)
is scheduled for 8/28.
AP Position Update: Ms. Atlas has decided not to take the
other position so there is no vacancy.
Member Concerns: Ruth Mills is concerned about some confusion
in the by-laws amendment process. This needs to be placed
on the agenda for the next meeting. Karen Sklar voiced concerns
that she has heard from parents regarding the new education plan
and the fact that there was no summer reading list given to incoming
freshmen this year.
Next Meeting: Tuesday, August 19th
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EDUCATION
COMMITTEE
Education/Instruction, Educational Plan, SLCs, No Child Left
Behind Professional Development, Testing Intervention Programs,
Special Education, GATE Curriculum Development
The Educational Planning
Committe met on Wednesday, September 3, from 3:15 to 4:15. Members
present: Genevieve Gould, Linda Andrews, Tim Henderson, Melinda Meinen,
Sandra Mart’n, Lind Burgess, Libby Butler, Vicky Francis, Mary Moran.
Minutes from previous meeting were not read because the committee's
secretary, Anita Stephens was not present. Libby Butler, teachers
from the 9th grade SLCs, Ms. Davenport and Ms. Evans will meet to
work out the logistics of the supplemental program for students since
transportation is involved. It was noted that better communication
is needed. Attendees were told that news about meetings will be posted
72 hours before the meeting. During the next meeting questions will
be refined and the survey prepared. Next meeting will take place on
Wednesday, October 8 at 3:15 in D105. In order to assess present programs
simple surveys for 10th and 9th grade students, parens and teachers
will be created and given to the aforementioned groups. The purpose
of the surveys is to find out what kind of students are enrolled in
the different programs that we offer and are they successful? Survey
results will be used to help plan other programs not to eliminate
present programs that work. Only 9th and 10th grade students will
be survey otherwise, the task will be insurmountable. By Sept. 24,
information regarding the next meeting will be dissiminated via e-mail
and placed in teachers' box. Everyone will be asked to give samples
of questions that could be used in the surveys. Sample questions have
to be returned to either Libby Butler or Sandra Mart’n by October
1. Education
-----------------------------------
Committee Minutes
The Education Committee met on June 20th during 7th period.
The following persons were present:
Sandra Martín, Melinda Meinnen, Randy Tenan-Snow, Anne Marie
Barrett, Genevieve Gould, Mary Moran, Helene Kunkel, Russ Kitagawa,
Anita Stephen, D. Hataishi.
It was agreed by the committee that 7th period needs to be used
for tutoring/enrichment for 9th grade students if we are to bring
up test scores and make school more meaningful for high achieving
students.
It was presented that teachers at Pali teach only 1300 minutes a
week instead of the 1550 minutes that are outlined in the contract
therefore, a 7th period tutoring program in which all teachers
participate could be implemented.
There was discussion about what to call the program and what
form it should take.
Libby's proposal is not the only program to be considered.
The committee is open to ideas.
Faculty buy in might be a problem.
Should ninth graders participating in the "tutoring" program
receive credit? Should they receive a pass/fail grade?
These are things that need to be discussed.
D. Hataishi said perhaps we should consider an advisory/study
hall program similar to what we used to have. This type
of a program will allow kids to receive more individual attention
and bond with an adult on campus that can help him/her with any
kind of problem.
It was agreed that the committee and anyone else interested needs
to meet before the buy back days and send the information to about
the meeting to everyone.
The information about the meeting will be given to Margaret Evans
for dissimination.
The Education Committee's meeting of August 4 has been changed
from 9:00 to 12:30 so everyone can attend.
Sandra.
Education Committee
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COMMUNICATIONS
COMMITTEE
Internal and external- All stakeholders
The Communications Committee met on Tuesday, July 22 at 12:30 p.m.
and reported its findings to the Governance Council at its specially
scheduled meeting on the same evening. Present at the Communications
Committee meeting were: John Kannofsky, Cheryl Onoye, Lorelei
McDevitt, and Margaret Evans.
The webmaster, John Kannofsky, is in the process of purchasing the
pali high domain name from Greg Munda, the owner of palihigh.com.
The only problem at this point was paying for the site and deciding
in whose name it would be. Discussion continued on purchasing
all of the other sites that pertain to Palisades Charter High School.
A suggestion was to ask the Booster Club to fund the main site and
sell the other domain names that they (the Booster Club) own so
that all sites pertaining to Palisades Charter High School would
be directed to palihigh.com.
The Town Meetings were discussed--one in the Palisades and another
in the city for our traveling parents during the week of August
11. It was suggested that each committee develop frequently
asked questions and answers that parents would have about the Independent
Charter. These questions would be compiled and sent home in
a mailing before the Town Hall meetings. Each committee would
have a representative at the meetings to answer any other questions
parents may have such as: What is an Independent Charter?;
What is the new Education Plan?; What are the new policies?; What
is a 501c3, etc. It was also suggested to have a contact name and
email address from each committee listed on the website to respond
to questions.
Since we want to schedule the Town Hall meetings before the end
of summer school, every committee's FAQ's should be sent to the
Communication Committee before August 5 to be included with the
summer mailing to parents and students. Once the dates and
venues are finalized, a press release will be sent to the Post,
Penny Savers, radio stations, etc. to publicize the meetings.
The next meeting will be determined by the approved dates of the
Town Hall Meetings. The agenda for the meetings will be finalized
at that time.
Margaret Evans
Assistant Principal
-----------------------------------
The Communications Committee met on Wednesday, June 18. Four of
us
attended: John Kannofsky, D. Hataishi, Michele Alper (parent), and
Margaret Evans. So far, only one disk has been given to the committee
to
have its minutes posted. The information was forwarded to John Kannofsky
to
be posted on the website. It was not received. I tried opening the
disk to
send the information again and the disk could not be opened!
We discussed having Committee chairs (or whoever takes minutes in
each
committeee), email a copy of minutes, (hopefully in Word), or whatever
you
need to have posted on the website to me. Someone from each committee
should be responsible for reporting to the Communications Committee.
The
Communication Committee does not want to spend a lot of time deciding
how
we're going to communicate information to everyone. It needs to
just start
happening.
Parents will be notified on the report card that we now have a website.
The
web
address will be sent home in the summer newsletter. The Booster
Club has
two websites that will be for parent information. However, the plan
is to
link our site with the Booster Club site. The specifics are yet
to be
resolved, hopefully at our next meeting.
There will be a lot going on this summer. Hopefully, information
will be
disseminated so that we all know what is happening with all committees.
The Communications Committee will meet again on Tuesday, June 24,
at 10 A.M.
in room J120. Each committee should send a representative.
Margaret Evans
Assistant Principal
Communication Committee Point Person
---------------
The Communication Committee met at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 24 to
try to resolve issues in best ways to communicate chartering info
to all stakeholders. In attendance were: Sandra Martin
(teacher), D. Hataishi (teacher), Michelle Alper (parent), John
Kannofsky (teacher and webmaster), Patricia Kuper (teacher), Guild
Copeland (Booster Club Rep), and Margaret Evans, AP.
It was discovered at our last meeting that there are several websites
in cyberspace that do not belong to Palisades High School, some
with outdated information. The discussion contunued.
Palihigh.com is the most current site being developed by our staff.
The Booster Club has purchased two domain names and other sites
are owned by either private individuals or groups.
The committee's concern was to purchase the domain names of
all of the sites that have our school information on them
(or have them transfer ownership to us) so that we know accurate
information is being reported. It was also suggested that
the Booster Club, the Palisades Foundation, the Alumni, etc. have
a link on their site to Palihigh.com. Four sites would cost
about $36 per year per name. More research is needed.
The Pali web address was printed on report cards that were mailed
home this week and will be on letterhead, newsletters, handbooks,
etc. It was suggested that all correspondence from the school
include the web address so that everyone knows that the site is
up and being maintained.
The committee wants to post frequently asked questions on the web.
There needs to be a Governance Council contact, as well as committee and
department chairs who will commit to giving info to the Communications
Committee for website posting. A calendar of committee meetings
should also be listed. All correspondence for the website
must be filtered through Communications (Margaret Evans) before
being sent to the webmaster.
The webmaster also suggested having an additional person responsible for
maintaining the website. Steve Burr was suggested.
Since most of our communicating will be by email, all faculty and
staff need an email address. To relieve "computerphobia"
that some of our staff may have, another suggestion was a professional
development on posting course information, etc. on the web.
The workshops could be led by an outside professional and address
different levels of computer knowlege.
The committee discussed posting email addresses of point people on
the web for easier contact when the public needs to have questions
answered. A Town Hall meeting was suggested for both local
and traveling communities. This item will be on the next agenda.
Meeting adjourned at 11:30 a.m. The next meting was not decided.
The report was given at Governance Council meeting on the same evening.
It was decided that the next Communications Committee meeting will
be held the day of the next Governance Council meeting on July 15.
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SCHOOL
POLICIES COMMITTEE
School Policies, Attendance, Sexual Harassment, Community Service,
Grade Policy, State Mandates, District Decrees, Calendar/Bell Schedules,
Student/Parent/Teacher expectations, Discipline
School Policies Committee Meeting Minutes
Monday, June 16, 2003
Attending: Cheryl Onoye, Rose Gilbert, Minh Ha Ngo, Simon Santana,
Mary Redclay, Cynthia Block, Susan Curren
Meeting started at 3:25 p.m. Cheryl Onoye accepted the position
of chairperson. Cynthia Block is taking minutes. The minutes are
to be sent to Margaret Evans on the Communications committee and
a report will be made to the Faculty Senate and the Governance Council.
Susan Curren will be the liaison with the Faculty Senate. The committee
discussed the key policy issues that were listed under this committee s
responsibilities:
Attendance Policy: The committee recommends that the policy approved
by the Governance Council in the spring of 2002 be sent ASAP to
our attorney for comments so that it can be included in student
handbooks, etc. in the fall. Rich Simon had suggested that we look
into a no credit option rather than a fail for attendance.
We discussed the use of incomplete instead but this
involves much more follow-up by the teacher. We will look further
into the no credit option, which would not have an
impact on grade point but would still be a serious consequence.
Once we have received legal comments, we will re-circulate the policy
to all stakeholder groups. There was some discussion about the ability
of the attendance office to administer this policy but this can
be dealt with at a later date. The attendance policy needs to be
published in the handbook and sent separately to parents for sign-off.
Community Service: There has been some feeling that the decisions
made about what is acceptable community service are arbitrary. We
need to meet with Gretchen Miller and the Community Service committee
to discuss and clarify the process and what is allowed.
Calendar/Bell Schedule: There will be no change for the 2003/2004
school year there is not enough time. Mr. Rauschuber has
asked to be involved in this process. The block schedule needs to
be evaluated for effectiveness. There was also discussion about
lowering class size by having teachers teach six out of 7 periods
instead of five out of seven. This would increase teaching time
and needs to be studied further. Period seven is not currently being
utilized in the most effective way.
Discipline: Mr. Howard and Ms. Atlas currently handle this. There
will be no major changes at this time. There is a question about
whether we will contract with LAUSD to provide security or whether
we might use a private firm. We discussed the need to establish
firmer consequences for discipline.
Grade Policy: This is decided by the individual departments but
should be approved by the Governance Council. There was some discussion
about using +/- grades. The LAUSD computer system does not allow
for them. We want to explore other options so that these gradations
can be used.
Current Action Items:
Send attendance policy to attorney for comments
Set meeting with Gretchen Miller and the Community Service Committee
Explore the use of +/- grading
Contact individual departments regarding their grading policies
for next year
Evaluate block schedule effectivenessThe next meeting is scheduled
for July 9th at 3:30 p.m.
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Ad Hoc Committee
on Possible 501c3 Alternative Governance Structure
Minutes
Members present: Fielding, Brooks, Butler, Feltham, Ngo, Shuhgalter,
On July 21, 2003, a meeting of this committee was held Committee
from 7
to 9 p.m. at PCHS. The charge of the Committee was to investigate
the
benefits and limitations of possible alternative governance structure
as
a non-profit 501c3 corporation and to provide this information to
the
Governance Council.
As background, Phillip Murray Esq. had provided a brief summary
of pros
and cons of becoming a non-profit corporation in a letter to Rich
Simon
who had requested this information on behalf of the Governance Council.
Upon review of this information, a set of additional questions and
requests for clarifications was developed in July 2003 (by J. Fielding)
and transmitted in writing to Phillip Murray who responded in the
attached letter of July 21, 2003. Everyone interested in this issue
is
strongly encouraged to read Mr. Murray's response.
At the committee meeting, Mr. Murray was asked additional questions
and
clarifications by those present for approximately 45 minutes via
telephone.. In addition, he agreed to provide a previously developed
summary of issues related to the service of students as members
of a
non-profit corporation which he had formulated for another school.
The following minutes are provided based upon the July 21, 2003
and
related discussion but are penned by a non-lawyer. For exact legal
interpretation and limitations please refer to Mr. Murray's letter.
In summary the benefits of moving to a 501c3 status are:
1. Greater ability to attract contributions for new/ expanded
programs.
2. Reduced personal liability for members of the governing body.
3. Enhanced ability to secure directors and officers insurance and
lower rates for such insurance
4. Exemption from income taxes (except for any unrelated business
income)
Limitations include:
1. Increased legal duties and reporting requirements 2. Not more
than 49% of Directors can be "interested " parties--
ie.those who receive any remuneration from the organization
3. Prohibition on lobbying
Although there is no summary statement or recommendation from Mr.
Murray
after reciting legal issues to be considered he opines that ".tax
exempt
organizations are able to operate effectively and with relative
ease
with minimum planning for compliance and with the correct procedures
in
place. In actual practice, very few charter schools find the laws
difficult to comply with.."(page 4)
Mr. Murray's letter also indicates that directors and officers
insurance, even with high limits, may not pay out quickly for either
defense or for judgments, and that the insurer may not be required
to
make any payments until the insured has suffered an actual loss
(page
13). Therefore, it is important to limit the likelihood of a suit
and
of a successful suit against directors. His letter indicates that
a
corporate non-profit structure provides significant protection against
successful suit against individual directors, assuming they have
followed reasonable operating procedures consistent with the applicable
law.
In response to questions, Mr. Murray indicated:
. All volunteer directors (ie uncompensated for their work as
directors) are at equal risk for personal liability as members of
the
Governance Council.
. Based on his experience he feels that a corporate board with 5-7
directors is most common for charter schools (other experts in this
area
have suggested 5-11 directors) . It is cleanest and easiest to have
a Board of Directors replace
the Governance Council, as opposed to trying to have both bodies
with a
role in governance. (Several committee members felt that the roles
of
existing Committees could be clarified and strengthened to increase
the
efficiency of the governance process and to permit those with greatest
expertise to have a major role in determining how issues before
it are
handled.) . Minors can be directors but their roles and responsibilities
are
complicated (described in the letter he will provide) . There is
no infringement on academic freedom associated with
becoming a non-profit corporation
The committee felt it was important that these minutes and related
documents be widely disseminated so that all concerned stakeholders,
including teachers, can have the benefit of the information provided
by
our attorneys.
Should the Governance Council ultimately decide to vote to form
a 501 c
3 corporation, significant changes in articles of incorporation
and
by-laws would be required.
It was also pointed out that it would be very important for a decision
on governance structure to be made before the election process is
finalized for this Fall. If, for example, a decision was made to
move
to a corporate structure, this information would be important for
all
possible individuals standing for election and for the nominating
committee that may help solicit appropriate candidates. It was the
general feeling of the group that a corporate structure would yield
a
wider pool of possible Board members than the current structure.
Several
individuals present highlighted the importance of having a Board
that is
diverse and collectively has relevant experience to assume the
significant fiduciary responsibilities of the governance role. .
It is currently planned that this report and any additional information
will be discussed by the Governance Council at its August meeting.
It
was recommended that Mr. Murray be available via telephone or in
person
to answer questions at that time.
Respectfully submitted,
Jonathan Fielding
On behalf of the ad hoc committee
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FINANCIAL
COMMITTEE
Payroll/Salary Insurance Fundraising
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PERSONNEL
COMMITTEE
Benefits Hiring, evaluation/firing, Salary, Contracts/Negotiations,
Union issues
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OPERATIONAL
COMMITTEE
Transportation, Food Service, Plant Security, Athletics, Computer/Technology,
Facilities Use
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