Leah Toubian - Student Representative in place of Ben Makhani
Amanda Campbell - arrived late

No public comment.

Sandra Martin introduced Leslie Magana who gave a presentation on the Summer Institute on Human Rights at PCHS.  The students and faculty attending Summer Institute worked on preparing and adopting the Student Bill of Rights and Responsibilities.  The Bill addresses the promotion of diversity at PCHS and the importance of equal access to classes. The students participating were student leaders from Leadership and clubs, including clubs supporting diversity.  Before writing the Bill, a Human Rights Temperature Survey was given.  The temperature of the school was 46% at the start of the 2015 school year.  The students working on the bill decided what the most pressing issues were based upon the survey and then focused on the three most pressing areas. 
 
The survey and the Bill itself were based upon the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations.  After the Bill was initially drafted, it was shared out to get feedback and then there were modifications made based upon the feedback.  Article 7 was presented as being of particular importance.  It addresses the Right to Equality Before the Law.  The Bill helps to ensure everyone’s rights, while also helping them understand their responsibilities as well.  As a result of the Bill and the discussions surrounding it, AP and Honors classes will be more accessible, PCHS will offer a Chicano Studies class, and the school will have a unisex bathroom.  During orientation,  the Bill was shared with incoming and returning students.  The Bill is intended to be amended as needed.

Emilie Larew discussed that there are more than 6 months remaining on the 3 open seats on the Board, necessitating the filling of the seats. Donna Mandosa did not accept her position after attending the Board Training.  Marcia Haskin resigned her seat.  Torino Johnson was automatically removed for non-attendance per the bylaws due to missing 3 regular Board meetings in a row (see item C).

Our bylaws require that we offer the open seats to the candidate who came in second, if they are still willing and able.

For the seat held by Donna Mandosa she ran unopposed so a special election will have to be held to elect a new administrative/management representative.

For Marcia Haskin’s seat, the runner up was Emily Pugatch Hirsch. Ms. Pugatch Hirsch is willing to take the seat. 

The Classified seat will be addressed in the next agenda item.

The new Board trustees will have to be trained on the rules of governance. Dara Williams suggested having the newly seated trustees review the audio from the Board Training Session by Lisa Corr and then setting up a Skype session with Lisa Corr so that any newly seated Trustees can ask questions. 
 

Emilie Larew then discussed that the Bylaws automatically remove a member who misses 3 consecutive regular meetings.  Torino Johnson missed 3 consecutive regular meetings (and one special meeting - the Board training) so he is no longer on the Board; however, the Board has the choice to approve his reinstatement as a Trustee.  Concerns were raised about reinstating Torino, based on the importance of regular attendance and meeting all required the legal duties to the school.  Dara Williams pointed out that if he really wanted to be reinstated Torino would have attended the meeting and that he was not in attendance.  Andy Paris was the runner up for Torino Johnson’s seat and the classified staff expressed a preference for Andy Paris to hold the seat.  Andy Paris is willing to accept the position.

Members decided not to reinstate Torino. 

The motion to seat Paris was included in the action item to seat the new Community Trustee.  See item B.
 

Monica Iannessa talked about the transition from NCLB to ESSA.  The immediate effects are that there are shifts in Title I funding, state testing, state standards and accountability.  There is a shift toward teacher equity and the Federal government is shifting a little bit more control to the states.

CSTs have now been discontinued and now there is the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress Test (CAASPP) with a focus on 11th grade for high schools. The emphasis now is that the standards are not being dictated at a national federal level.  As with the common core curriculum, it is more state driven than in the past.  However ESSA does leave room for intervention by the federal government if the states "water down" their standards and the federal government is watching to make sure that this doesn’t happen.  Accountability is measured by setting goals but with the flexibility to measure indicators in multiple areas, not just test scores. 
 
The ESSA also got rid of sanctions for low performing schools so now the school choice program for Program Improvement Schools does not have to be in place.  This is good because in Los Angeles we are at a point where there are so many schools in Program Improvement that there is nowhere for the kids to move.  It gives administrators more leeway to try innovative strategies depending upon the needs of the students.  Schools are still required to provide data on teachers and on whether low income students and students of color are being taught by under-qualified teachers.
 
The administrative team at PCHS is working with the PLCs to look at alignments and interim assessments to develop strategies to comply with ESSA.  Math is continuing to be looked at and English is being addressed.  There are interim block assessments and a goal is to develop similar assessments in history and science.  The LCAP (Local Control and Accountability Plan) and the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) is what will be used to establish the goals.  The California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) is no longer and instead, interim assessments will be the norm.

It is not clear if because we are a charter school that we have more leeway.  But because we are an LAUSD charter and our charter was issued by LAUSD , we need to satisfy LAUSD that PCHS is meeting its goals and that the standards and goals set are appropriate.

Under this new system there is always fine-tuning.  There will be a need to make sure that the curriculum and the interim assessments are blended and that there is horizontal and vertical alignment.  The focus will have to be on how to respond to the data from the assessment. 
 

Monica Ianessa gave a Prezi presentation about the Dolphin Academy.  The participating students received 5 high school credits and 10 community service hours, which were for the work they did at Freshmen Orientation. The students were introduced to Infinite Campus (IC) and a lot of time was spent learning how to navigate Schoology. There was a STEAM class on designing and building.  The students also filmed and edited a Public Service Announcement (PSA) video for Freshmen Orientation. The students were given assignments on GoogleDocs.  There were 3 "Fun Fridays" for bonding.  The classes consisted of: Leadership, STEAM, Tech, English (which covered the summer reading), Sociology, and Flex Period for Pali Pause.
 
The PSAs were on getting zeroes as an assignment grade and how it impacted the semester grade; anti-bullying; and sports activities available at PCHS.  At Freshmen Orientation the Academy students gave campus tours and participated in a Pep rally. 
 
125 students were targeted and 110 participated.  The grades were as follows:
40% A
49% B
07% C
04% D
 
There were 6 mentors in the program.  They are continuing to meet with the students every 5 weeks.
 
 

The survey results are not ready as we only have the raw data.  The raw data will be available for the Board Retreat.  It is not clear as to whether the conclusions from the survey will be completed. 

This item will be tabled until the next regular meeting.
 

Dr. Magee began by noting that the goals are helpful in building a culture of continuous improvement.  The LCAP is becoming more of a focus. A new WASC action plan is being developed.
 
Goal #1 (Communication)
Over the past year communication has become critical in improving school culture.  Bringing in the Culture/Climate facilitators, which was suggested by a faculty member, proved to be very helpful.  As part of the plan to achieve the schoolwide goals, the Acceptable Use Policy was rewritten and enforcement was stepped up.   The website is being revamped to facilitate communication.  It is hoped that it can be completed by Back to School Night.   A Pali 101 is planned to get the stakeholders information.
 
Goal #2 (Vertical and Horizontal Alignment)
The administration is working on this and the work will continue.
 
Goal #3 (Grading Policy & Positive Classroom Climate)
Conversations have begun with regard to grading policies.  Some progress has been made and discussions are continuing. 
There is now a Student Bill of Rights and Responsibilities in place.  This helps to provide tools to work in a more positive way.  
As part of the pathway to achieving this goal data is being collected to improve things.  Data analysis of Infinite Campus and Schoology is being utilized to see how often teachers are entering grades.  Some teachers are dilatory.    As part of this goal the administration is looking to increase classroom support for struggling students.
 
Goal #4 (School Climate Improvement)
There is a 2-year action plan.  Staff surveys conducted as to what is working well and what could be done better. 
 
Goal #5 (identification of Funding Sources)
All current sources of funding were identified in order to expand support.  A fundraising policy was passed.  The school received a Career Pathways Grant.  A Tech Equity Campaign is planned.
 
To reach the schoolwide goals looking at core values: respect, responsibility, and results; tech equity; human rights and social emotional development; data gathering and analysis; and personalization of professional development.
 
Some requirements for graduation are being looked at, specifically Computers, Health and Technology classes.  There is an operational focus on safety and security.   There is the hope that PCHS can create outreach to increase diversity and also to build alumni and business relationships
 
Robert Rene noted that this Board has a communal commitment to continuing to improve.
 

Discussed with relation to goals.  There is progress and continuing work on this.  Additional updates will come in future months.
 

Russel Howard presented a summary of information about drug use and sales on campus. There have been new surveillance cameras installed throughout the campus supplementing the surveillance cameras previously installed.  The school will now also be using drug dogs to search for drugs on campus.  Lea Toubian suggested a drug survey and opening up communications to enable students to ask questions.
 
Leslie Woolley noted that drug use is often a symptom of mental health issues such as depression and that this is a big piece of the drug problem that has to be recognized.  Pali has a social worker on campus providing support to students. 

The sale and use of prescription Adderall was also raised as an issue.  Robert Rene brought up that he has heard from students who have expressed that they feel uncomfortable going to certain places on campus because of the drug sales. 
 
Security was further discussed as a way to help the problem.  There is now weekend security.  There is also a new gate along the access road that directs all foot traffic to the front of the school.  Newly installed "Raptor" system checks visitors against a sex offender database and visitors on that database are not permitted on campus.  If it is necessary for any those individuals to meet with faculty or staff an alternative meeting place will be arranged.
 
Amanda Campbell thanked the Facilities department for the installation of the gate and the addition of a new front security guard who is very effective. He is a retired school police officer.  The gate is effective at keeping students on campus and forcing the flow of foot traffic through one spot. 
 

The goal is to have the Study Center open until 5:30 because the late buses leave at 5:45.  The estimated cost of doing this for the school year would be $5000.  It is just a matter of hiring someone to staff the Center as no special approval is needed.  The program can start as soon as they can hire someone or otherwise determine appropriate staffing.
 

Dara Williams discussed various email retention policies.   LAUSD Board members keep them for one year.  LAUSD is discussing updating their policy to provide that they be kept for 2 years.  Dara expressed the opinion that 3 years seems like a better policy.  In the discussion, it was brought up that the problem with the retention policy is that faculty and staff on the Board will find it more difficult to determine which emails to retain.  Board members who are not employed by PCHS will only have emails relating to Board business in their PCHS email accounts, whereas those employed by PCHS will have other emails there as well.  So there cannot simply be a date wherein the emails are simply deleted.  So that means that there should be an email retention policy that encompasses more than just the Board.  As part of this discussion it was also noted that if other policies are in place that require the retention of documents, any emails falling into these categories must be preserved either by printing them out and placing them with related documents or by archiving them so that if a retention policy is developed the archived emails will not be deleted.  Because of the complexities of this issue the Board discussed adopting only a policy with regard to those emails on the Board members personal email accounts.
 
 

Report stands as submitted.
 

Report stands as submitted.
 

LAUSD came in and did some inspections, which necessitated some repairs, which have been done.  Facilities would like to hire a second technician, which would alowl PCHS to control all of the maintenance in-house. In-house maintenance has already been increased.
 

Report stands as submitted.

Lea (ASB Vice President) - Looking at changing the way the announcements are done.  They are effective but there are drawbacks.  Teachers find them disruptive and the neighbors are annoyed by them.  Looking at the possibility of doing them 3rd/4th period and shortening the time and possibly sending out video announcements as a supplement. Leah also noted that there was an ASB station at orientation with a Truth Talk. There was positive feedback. ASB is helping with Back to School Night. There will also be a Charter Bowl Fundraiser with food trucks.
 
 

Nothing to report.

No report.

Nothing to report.

Nothing new to report as the committee has not yet met.
 

Chris Lee is stepping down as the Chair.  The committee has not yet met this school year, but the members are tasked with reviewing the CASPP results and presenting the results at the October meeting.  LAUSD is looking at moving their start date to later in the calendar year.  The committee was also asked to look at the school calendar to make recommendations with respect to the school year start date next year and the impact of any changes, which may include matching LAUSD's start date or selecting a different start date based on what is best for PCHS needs. 
 

Committee has not met yet.  Nothing to report.
 

Covered with earlier agenda items regarding seating/electing Trustees.

Nothing new to report.  A meeting will be scheduled for the month of September.

Nothing new to report.

PCHS has a new Director of Development, Mike Rawson.  He presented his Strategic Development Plan and emphasized that PCHS needs to develop a culture of giving - with parent, alumni, and Board support being very important.
 
There is a Tech Equity Fund Campaign that will be kicked off on September 1st.  There will be a promotional video.  Looking for 100% participation in 50 days.  The goal is to raise $300,000 for Chromebooks and Chromebook carts.  In addition to the promotional video, there will be social media blasts.  For the Board, he is asking for 100% participation and for each Board member to contact 8 to 10 individuals to contribute to the program.
 
As the Director of Development, Mike Rawson will be looking to define the roles of PCHS and the Booster Club as it relates to fundraising.
 
The importance of giving in the moment at Back to School Night was raised with the possibility of text-to-give or using systems such as Links, SquareSpace, or Paypal.
 

Awaiting final survey results.  We have the raw data, but are awaiting the analysis and should have it later this week.

Dara Williams noted that there was nothing new to report.  The committee will be meeting to work on Stakeholder Rights and Responsibilities.
 

See above.

Reviewed the time and location of the upcoming Board retreat on Saturday.  It will be in the same location where the Board training was held in July.

The report done by the culture and climate facilitators will be available as materials for the Retreat.  The facilitators will also be working with us at the Retreat.

Emilie Larew requested a presentation to review PCHS' fiscal policies and procedures at the September meeting. 

Emilie Larew requested the discussion and consideration of possibilities for next year's school calendar and potential start dates begin begin ASAP.  (See Academic Accountability Committee report.)

 

Emilie Larew announced Closed Session item A below.  PCHS employee Trustees Emilie Larew, Amanda Campbell, and Susan Ackerman recused themselves for the Closed Session.

Non-employee Board members went into closed session.

No action was taken in Closed Session.