What are your thoughts on the board meeting? Many parents are unable to attend board meetings, although they would really like to, so maybe those parents who attended can fill us in.
I just want to say I for one have been very happy with how my child has been doing at Excelsior, I have also been very happy with my child's teacher.
I have many great things to say about the school, but sometimes I am not happy and I think it is okay for parents to ask questions and talk to one another as parents.
So lets hear it.
I miss Mr. Nix, that is not to say that I am unhappy with the new administration but it is different, he really made the school.
What is on your mind?
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I love my daughter's teacher, and I loved Mr Nix. The curriculum is good. So far I don't trust the new administration, and am disgusted by the juvenile "builders" theme that they are using as the school's social culture, AND trying to make us use in our own homes. Thank you, but I am pretty sure it is the parent's sole responsibility to decide how to govern their children and we have a system that works... you can keep your builder's theme to yourself.
ReplyDeleteWhile the board meeting is meant as a way for the public to witness the board's doings, I feel that having the "comment" portion take place at the BEGINNING is counterproductive and shows a lack of respect for the parents, as well as the board's habit of not taking the comment into consideration. Like it or not, the parents have every right to comment on each item discussed because it is their money being used to fund the school, and if everyone pulled out their kids then there would BE no school.
As for the meeting last night specifically, a parent raised a valid point regarding the new "parent advocate". The board members will do whatever will keep them in their position, and there is evidence to support that. The "parent advocate" is a board member, not selected by the parents, but simply a board member assigned to take that on. If the "advocate" is meant to be a receptionist or operator and tell us who to take our concerns to, then the title should be changed, or even dropped and made part of the secretary's duties.
"advocate" means a person who speaks or writes in support or defense of a person, cause, etc. (usually fol. by of): an advocate of peace.
3.a person who pleads for or in behalf of another; intercessor.
4.a person who pleads the cause of another in a court of law.
I find the new "advocate" idea to be a joke. How can the "advocate" be on the parent's side, if it is an appointed duty of an existing board member who was NOT voted in by the parents at large, and will never be because parents can not vote for board members? Why is the "advocate" not selected by the parents? It is supposed to be THEIR "advocate"!
The "advocate" does not represent me because I did not choose him or her to. I completely agree with the parent last night who voiced that concern, and am completely disgusted by the chair's response to her. I am very glad that the display happened in front of other pareants, who may have until then thought that the recent concerns raised by parents through email were just rumors and warmongering.
I feel betrayed by the board, who lead us all in the beginning to believe that parental input would be encouraged, welcomed, and even part of the charter. We were told we would have more influence with the school, better support through the PTO, and that our children would have support through the TIPPS tutoring in class. Better than the regular public schools in the District. Now we find that the board has become an absolute governing body that answers only to itself, TIPPS tutoring has not been implemented, and that the PTO president was appointed, not voted for. Many volunteers spent countless hours bringing the school into existance, and now we find we were just laboring donkeys dazzled by the dangling carrot. Sounds like the funding money has come in and the board is running on their own track with it.
I really wish I had been able to attend last nights meeting.
ReplyDelete[Many volunteers spent countless hours bringing the school into existance, and now we find we were just laboring donkeys dazzled by the dangling carrot.]
this comment sounds right on, I doubt it will be long before the board has seen this maybe they will listen.
What did happen last night?
[I am very glad that the display happened in front of other pareants, who may have until then thought that the recent concerns raised by parents through email were just rumors and warmongering.]
this is true if last night was bad, it does explain the petition that was dismissed by the board.
So who resigned? was there a new board member appointed? What happened.
The library was packed. The chair said she may have to ask the parent to leave...the comment period was over. Don't know her name, but member who resigned was blonde, short hair. Said financial situation forced her to find employment. A guy who had been on finance committee is new board memeber and head of finance committee.
ReplyDeleteThe petition was mentioned. I never knew about it. What was it for? Not sure what to think about everything I'm hearing...
Just how did the board members become board members to begin with?
ReplyDeleteAnna Loertscher resigned at the meeting and I can't remember the newest baord member's first name but his last name is Coon. At the Feb. meeting Sonia Liddard was voted in as a board member.
ReplyDeleteAs for the petitiion it started as a letter to the state charter school board asking them to overturn the ammendment changes that changed the board voting procedures. The state told Heather that if some parents would also sign the letter it would help the cause get on the state's meeting agenda. It was emailed to a few friends that Heather new were supportive and from there it was like a grass fire and so many people wanted to sign it. If you have not had a chance to sign it you can email Brian Allen of the state charter school board and tell him you agree with Heather McClatchey and would like the board voting procedures returned to the original charter (brian@evvivaent.com). The point of the letter isn't a personal attack on anyone board member it is just saying that as parents we would like the opportunity and ability to vote for board members who govern our kid's school. Even if we only get one board member to vote for like the PTO rep. would be better than not having a vote at all.
The original board members were voted by the committee working on the charter application. In the original bylaws the terms where due to expire starting June of 2010. Then again in 2011. Until that time if a vacancy came up the board would appoint someone to fill the vacancy until a vote was conducted in May of each year.
Now it looks like there will be no actual terms (eventhough the bylaws say there will be) but the board will just continue to vote on new board members whenever they want.
I'm excited to have a place where we all can post, discuss, and hopefully inspire change. After all, Habit 4 (of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) is "Think win-win," Habit 5, "Seek first to understand, then to be understood," and Habit 6 "Synergize," can all fit very well in the scope of organizational change.
ReplyDeleteParents are the biggest stakeholders in this organization. It makes absolutely no sense to me that the board would not want to consider parent input by allowing an elected position on the board, open communication policies, and a time for questions/discussion with feedback. It could potentially solve many problems - especially if they used habits 4, 5 & 6. Hmmmmmm. . .
I should also add to the previous comment, that it is not only "they" who must use habits 4, 5, and 6 . . . for it to be effective, it has to be a two way road. We can use those tools to create organizations with positive communication and momentum. Anyone need a good read over spring break? Look up "The Leader in Me" by Stephen Covey. You can download the audiobook to your ipod off of audible.com. The book is all about leadership model schools, inspiring change, collaboration, etc. It is a fantastic model.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'm going to go to bed now. As soon as my husband saw me start typing, he knew my brain was thinking and that I would be up for a while - he's gone to bed.
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ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I wasn't able to attend the Board meeting. I did hear about it. I have to say though, I have a hard time comprehending how people seem to have a hard time putting together the fact that "the Board is doing a great job", "but we don't like the new administration", basically boils down to the Board. They gave away their power to hire the new administration when they hired APS to do their job for them.
ReplyDeleteWhat this all boils down to in my opinion is the fact that the Board is a governing body that doesn't want conflict or communication that may be of a differing opinion than their own.
I have a really hard time when people say that it is a shame that people don't appreciate all of the time that the Board puts in, but did they appreciate all of the time that the volunteers put in for 2 years to get the school going?? I seem to recall having a conversation with Mr. Nix about this very thing and telling him that volunteers were feeling frustrated and upset because they felt like their efforts were not being appreciated.
For those of us that were involved from the the beginning, the frustration comes from the HUGE canyon that exists between what was decided in those first meetings, and what is actually happening now. At this point, I actually have MORE SAY in what happens at a district school that I do at Excelsior. At least in the district schools, I can still vote for who is on the school board. The whole point of a charter school is for MORE parental involvement, not tyranny. I guess at this point my feeling is that the Board is telling me that they know what's better for me and my scholar than I do.
With all of that being said, I do love my daughter's teacher and am impressed with the curriculum, she is learning a ton. She likes it, and I am glad that they did listen to the uproar about Club Time and the restructuring actually makes sense. It would be pretty tough to do a club structured for 1st-5th grades, so they actually improved upon that. And this happened because of.... INPUT FROM PARENTS! This goes to show that parents can have good suggestions and should be listened to. :)
Oh, and I had to remove my first post because it posted before I was done.....
The Boards new comment is that the Charter School is just another choice for the community. So they don't think that the part about parents having more involvement because it is a charter school is true anymore, yes they did sell this in the beginning, but they no longer feel this way.
ReplyDeleteany news on the petition?
I got a letter stating something about "detrimental communication among some parents", well they can't please everyone and I am pretty sure free speech is allowed in this country... if they check that dusty old paper in the DC Museum they will find that out. Nothing detrimental about parents discussing the school with eachother, good or bad, in fact one of the last PTO meetings I was in it was brought up that the parents want and need such a forum and afterwards the Yahoo group was created. Not terribly impressed with their letters to everyone putting down those who have concerns and want to discuss the school with eachother. Am I the only one who feels like they have a "big brother" complex? Parents having the freedom to discuss the school as they see fit has nothing to do with their communications policy.
ReplyDeleteOn the bright side, I love my kids' teacher. Can't wait for the school to do something good so I can talk about that.
yeah, the letter made me feel pretty bad, I am not speaking out to cause problems. In fact all I want is for Excelsior to Succeed. What Yahoo site? I guess I missed that.
ReplyDeleteIf someone knows where the yahoo group is, can you post that info?
ReplyDeleteThere are several things working in favor of this school. 1: parents are interested being involved in their children's education. 2. The school has a good mission statement which has the potential to guide the actions of the administration and governing board. 3. We have good kids at this school!
Open public communication definately has a place in governance of a public institution. I believe that helping this matter alone will help to ease all of the other difficulties and ills that the school is facing. When many people are all invested in the success of a project, the result is far better than when only a few are invested.
To allow those things to happen it is important to first clearly identify the actionable issues, come up with workable win-win solutions, and create plans for those solutions. This may be a rough road to go down because right now we have fairly entrenched sides to the issue - but I believe it is critical to the success or failure of the organization.
If this means we get together as an independent parents group to identify the issues, create win-win proposals, and then go through the administration, and then through the parent advocate - then that is the path we will have to take. If we are willing to take the high road and do the hard things first - seeking first to understand and then to be understood, thinking win-win, etc, then it is more likely that we will meet with success. Any stances that do not allow the other side to "save face" will only keep them on the defensive - and no resolution is likely to come about.
There are some great books called "Crucial Conversations" and "Getting to Yes" - particularly the last one - that deal with the communication and negotiation issues we are facing.
It is true that these principles may not work - if one side is absolutely convinced that it needs to be a win-lose type situation, sometimes you have to take the alternative = win-win or no deal. The question there is, are we willing to take the no deal? Something to consider.
I found the yahoo group. It doesn't have any posts but refers back to this blog.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to share that I finally took the time to meet with Mrs. Barrs and Mrs. Lloyd. I found them to be wonderful women who were very understanding and that they want what we all want - the school to succeed. I feel so much better after talking with them. They have an open door, anyone who has not met with them yet, should take the time.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I am concerned about is the role of parental input in the school (beyond volunteering - which doesn't necessarily influence the course of the school). Did Ms. Lloyd address how we can create a forum for parental concerns, suggestions, etc. to be addressed? I think we do all want the same thing - success for the school. The question is, how is that success defined? Is it test scores alone, or are there other markers? Who defines them? What steps does that entail? What are the benchmarks? What are the roles of parents, students, teachers and administrators? Where does collaboration fit into the model? Who gets to be involved in collaboration? How? Why are teachers not being told whether or not they have jobs next year until JUNE (all other schools do their hiring in March and April)? Why are they told to look for new jobs every year? Is the role of teachers to simply deliver the curricula? How does the research which shows that it doesn't matter how good your curricula is, if you have poor teachers your students will not succeed, fit in? WHERE IS THE TEAM BUILDING???? Builders and wreckers is not team building. It is demoralizing, and teaching the kids the wrong kinds of things. It was the philosophy used by the Nazis. The philosophy that if you don't agree with us (building) you are against us(wrecking) is a dangerous concept to entrench in our students. Everyone may not agree on how to get to the common goal, but we all agree, in general, on the common goal of Excelsior's success. What does that mean? What does that look like? How do we accomplish that goal? Is there a "we" involved in that suggestion? That is the beauty of synergy - many different people with different experiences and view points can work together to create something better than any of them can create on their own.
ReplyDeleteThose are the questions that as of yet, are unanswered by Ms. Lloyd or Mrs. Barrs. It is easy to say that we all have common goals. Easy to say that we all want the same things. The hard part is in the details.
It would be really nice if the board would set goals and let eveyone know what they are. And this school is in desperate need of a strategic plan, which would give all the details.
ReplyDeleteAs I was researching effective change in schools (my likely master's thesis topic), I came across this article. I think you might enjoy it. These are research-based strategies for creating effective collaborative (what the school was originally supposed to be) environments.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.turningpts.org/pdf/Teams.pdf
A couple of points about effective schools worth pondering . . .
"In a collaborative culture, members of the school community work
together effectively and are guided by a common purpose. All members
of the community—teachers, administrators, students and their
families—share a common vision of what the school should be like.
Together they set goals that lead them toward this vision. In doing
so, they create a culture of discourse in which the most important
educational matters facing the school are openly and honestly discussed.
Members respect each other, value their differences, and are
open to each other’s ideas. Even when there is disagreement, people
listen to each other because they believe deeply that differences are
vital in moving their school forward."
"Shared leadership and decision making is a primary component of a
school’s collaborative culture. It allows all members of the school
community to play a role in determining the direction of the school
and in understanding the impetus for change. Shared leadership
means many more people than the administrators have the information
and the power to make decisions and enact changes. Instead
of one or two people making decisions alone, teams make decisions
by consensus after all participants have voiced their opinions and
support for the change. Shared leadership requires an operational
structure that allows more people to lead the thinking of the school
and to participate in making decisions at all levels."
"With shared leadership teachers become members of teams and play a
substantial role in the change a school undertakes. As teachers participate
on the school’s leadership team, study groups, and academic and
discipline-based teams, they are able to influence their school’s direction
and make decisions about the school’s curriculum, teaching priorities,
hiring, and budget and expenditures. When teachers have a genuine part in making decisions and implementing changes, they
become more committed to reform efforts. In a collaborative culture,
reform is not imposed upon teachers but created by them.
Parents and other community members also have a stake in the
shared leadership of a school.
Research has shown
that successful schools create structures that allow teachers to collaborate
on the challenges they face. Instead of working in isolated
classrooms without interaction with their colleagues, teachers in
successful schools come together to discuss ideas, share practices,
and plan curriculum."
Retrieved from http://www.turningpts.org/pdf/Teams.pdf
all good points mrs. P, have you taken these great thoughts to the admin? Maybe you have, I don't want you to think I am being argumentative, I am just curious if you are passing all of your wonderful advice on here on to them.
ReplyDeleteWhen I spoke with them and pointed out my concerns and concerns I had heard of others, they were very receptive, and did address how we could work collaboratively. They do not have all the details figured out, but it has been a huge concern and they are working on it. They are trying to educate themselves on the charter (and coming in the middle of the school year is frustrating) but they didn't do that on their own the need was there from Mr. Nix leaving. It has been confusing but there is a board called the parent advisory board. at this time I don't think it has been doing what it is suppose to be doing giving parents and teachers a collaborative voice. One thing when I discussed a win(teachers)/win(parents)/win(board) idea with Mrs. Barrs and Mrs Lloyd, they so perfectly reminded me that it is the Students who need to be the winners. I clarified that I was talking communication and cooperation which would make the students win. Anyway what I am saying is that more of us need to see about this parent advisory committee and get involved with that and then maybe some on her would be perfect candidates for the board. I want nothing more than to see things running smoothly. I also know that this first year or so there will be bumps, and we just need to work through them.
Just my thoughts.