Site Council Minutes, September 10, 2007
Palo Alto High School Site Council
Monday, September 10, 2007
ITEM 1 - CALL TO ORDER
Kenyon Scott called the meeting to order at 3:30 P.M. in the ERC. Members present were Katy Hall, Hillary Freeman, Lorraine Brown, Elspeth Farmer, Jaclyn Edwards, Carla Guerard, Kenyon Scott, David Cohen, Hilary McDaniel, Mary Ellen Bena, Olivia Diamond, Jenna Lose, Scott Zhuge, Mary Dimit- PTSA, Principal Jacquie McEvoy and Coordinator Edie Miller. Not present were Malati Murthy and Abbie Havern. Also present were Lucas Matze and Paly VOICE reporter Wesley.
ITEM 2 - APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The minutes of June 4 2007 were approved with a spelling correction: item 4 Rebecca Stamm Fox
ITEM 3 - OPEN FORUM
Mary Ellen asked that the school consider utilizing local university talent to enrich Paly’s program. Mary asked the subject of a Thursday late start be considered for second semester. Parent Christina Owen spoke to the inappropriate behavior at the dance. Mary said that PTSA will help with education on the topic.
ITEM 4 - SITE COUNCIL ORGANIZATION
Edie circulated the roster list and refreshment sign up. She then gave an overall explanation of the Site Council Binders. She also explained a few unwritten policies: the need for confidentiality, discussion of an issue at one meeting, voting the next and that Open Forum is a time for the Council to hear concerns without commenting.
ITEM 5 - PALY BUDGET SCHOOL PLAN AND WASC
Jacquie introduced the topic of the Paly budget. She wants it to be very transparent. She explained the details in four handouts. The purple sheet is an overall view of the budget. The blue sheet is a break down of the classified expenses. The pink sheet details the certificated budgets. The buff paper is an accounting of department expenses. Jacquie then answered many questions.
Jacquie then explained Site Council’s role in overseeing the School Plan. At the next meeting, she will present the Final Plan, 2006-07 and the School Plan, 2007-08 (in an executive summary form). Members will be asked to become familiar with both and vote approval before both are presented to the School Board in late October. The main goal will be preparing for the WASC.
Jacquie then explained that WASC stands for Western Association of School Accreditation. In preparation for a visit from an outside review team in spring, 2009, Paly will spend a year of self-study. Site Council will be critical to this process.
ITEM 6 - PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
Jacquie reported that this was a very smooth opening for the school year. PTSA volunteers were wonderful and all the students were in class by 10AM .The first dance went well, with only the normal blips. Jacquie explained how she is handling the inappropriate dancing. Police will be on hand with breathalyzers to make sure the dances are alcohol and drug free. She has met with Leadership class and is talking about how to modify the school culture.
At the district level, the High School Task Force is continuing its work of developing a plan for accommodating the expected increase of students within 5 years. The focus has shifted from facilities to programs. High School students and parents have been surveyed. All involved are encouraged to “think outside the box”. The committee must report to the Board by December 2007 so a facility bond can be prepared for the June 2008 ballot,
ITEM 7 - REPORTS
- PTSA- Mary announced that the level for teacher grants has been raised, in both the fast track category and the Viking grants.
- STUDENT COUNCIL- the students reported that they are hard at work on Spirit Week, which will be held late in October. There was considerable discussion about the treatment of some freshmen during the first week of school. Some of the egg throwing and water balloons take place off campus. Jacquie clarified that the school has responsibility for every student from the time he/she leaves home until he or she returns home. If students are misbehaving during school time, they can expect to be punished both by the school and by the police.
IITEM 8 - ELECTION
Edie explained that three officers need to be elected at the next meeting. She asked for nominations. Nominated for Co Chairs are Katy Hall and Kenyon Scott, Nominated for Secretary is Lorraine Brown. Olivia has volunteered to participate when possible. Edie invited further nominations any time before the election.
ITEM 9 - FUTURE MEETING AGENDA and ADJOURNMENT
- Election
- Timeline of annual responsibilities
- Examining the School Plan so that areas of focus can be identified at the Oct. 15 meeting. It was pointed out that this should also include a review of ideas brainstormed at the end of last year. (such as mentoring between seniors and freshmen).
- Site Council budget- philosophy
Jenna moved for adjournment. It was seconded and passed. Meeting adjourned at 5:20 PM.