Peter Garff - Will be taking over as student rep next year.  He noted that he is excited to take this on and thanked C Clauson for all his work and congratulated him on a great job.

Anonymous - Due to the recent decision delaying COVID vaccinations until July 2023. Un-Vaxed students left this semester to avoid Virtual school, now since its extended will you allow these students to return. Lottery applications closed in Feb before this new decision was voted on and approved. 

Anonymous - Regarding the Parent Survey. How can the administration possibly send out a multiple-choice survey where the only options for rating the administration are different shades positive? I don't agree with any of these self-serving, self-congratulatory descriptions of the Administration. I think sending out this kind of survey encapsulates the problems with this administration: disingenuous, uncommunicative, unhelpful and self-interested. I know that after parents complained, the administration added the "None of the Above" category, but all those who filled it out prior to that time had no choice apart from a ringing endorsement of the administration, and the end result of having no neutral or negative option renders the survey skewed and without merit. The results of this survey and this administration itself should not be trusted. 

Anonymous - I really like Pali, my son has thrived here and I think it has the potential to be an excellent school but it will struggle to achieve this without a leader that has a clear vision of what that means and what that looks like for a 21st century high school. I do understand running a school of Pali’s scale is by no means an easy job. It takes determination, it takes caring, it takes being a visionary and most of all it takes passion and conviction. I personally think my children deserve that from the person leading their education and I want to see that at Pali High because I don’t believe public education should settle for less. 

Anonymous - I'm writing about current protocols after a student has tested positive for Covid. To be clear, I am very grateful for the weekly testing and the early call for masking again indoors. I am pro testing and pro mask.  However, this week, my son tested positive for Covid, but had no symptoms. Immediately our family of 5 all got tested on rapid antigen tests and we all tested negative. My son, who was deemed positive actually took 2 tests, both negative. We then went to an independent testing site for PCR test, and results were also negative. The next day, all family members took antigen tests again, all negative. All asymptomatic. Per Stephanie, the nurse, we are going thru the motions of staying home from school, despite the false positive from Pali testing site. Unfortunately, missing a week before finals in your junior year is unfortunate. I have spoke to several friends who have either had the same experience or friends with the exact same experience. Without a resolution to online instruction and with up to 50 students being absent each day, seems like an issue that should be addressed. I'm wondering if there can be another sub-category that if a student has a false positive, and can prove their negative with several independent sources and multiple rapid tests, they are allowed to go back to school earlier than the 5 days? I'm concerned about next school year.

Daphne Gronich - The Pali High Booster Club is having its We Love Pali Party next Sunday at the Santa Monica Women's Club from 6 to 9 pm. This will be a fun and casual party with dinner and drinks - - not a formal auction gala. Any funds raised at the party will be used to help buy classroom supplies needed for the start of school in the fall.  Party details and ticket purchase links are on the Booster Club website at palihighboosterclun.com . Teachers are invited to attend and should RSVP to Karen Cox, Dr. Magee's assistant via email, so they can be put on the guest list.  The Boosters hope parents and teachers can attend. Thanks to all those who support the Booster Club, which enables the Booster Club to support the entire Pali High community. 

April Schoellnast - This is my 17th year teaching. I am currently the History department co-chair. I am upset by the rhetoric from many stakeholders here at Pali. Some individuals have said that teachers at Pali are greedy and money hungry. Nothing could be further from the truth. All we ask for is fair compensation for educating students. It is unfair to ask us to forgo a substantial pay increase. Inflation is at record levels and has been finally deemed transitory. Not keeping up with cost of living is a sure way to lose our best educators, especially with a nation-wide teacher shortage. I know I’m a great teacher, if not one of the best. Let me give you some comparisons. I am currently at 26TM10 and make a base salary of $92,877. My salary in the following districts would be: LAUSD with lifetime benefits $85, 470. Adjusted for those benefits, my salary would be $97,470, El Segundo $104, 668, Granada Hills $109,447.  I used the South Bay and SFV as comparison because these areas are more affordable for teachers to live out the American Dream. Many of the teachers at Pali are commuting from these two areas, especially if they have a family and are homeowners. The Palisades and West side have become too expensive for teachers to live out this dream.  Many people forget that the two most important groups of people on this campus are the student body and teachers. Our pay should reflect this fact.

Anonymous - Congratulations to Chris on his last board meeting. He has truly impacted students positively and has been a true leader. Great job to him throughout the year 

Last few weeks have been dedicated to AP exams.  There have been Freshman fundraisers and Freshman Fest.  Grad Night was last Friday at California Adventure.  Prom is this Saturday and Senior picnic with games/food/yearbook signing is coming up.  Yearbooks are currently on sale and he reports that the yearbook this year is wonderful.  He also thanked the Board for the opportunity and is excited to have Peter Garff take over his roll.  D Williams thanked him for all of his contributions to the BOT this year.

MB King discussed the issue regarding students who left due to vaccine mandates who might be interested in returning next year due to delay in the requirement.  She is also hearing questions about transportation.

J Fahn heard comments regarding the parent survey:  parents were unsure when due dates were and there were frustrated parents who did not complete the survey because they could only provide positive responses.  Parents also tried to contact school hoping to make corrections but were not able to get through/no response.

No Board representative available to give report.

B King noted that there was nothing to report.

M Nance reports that there are issues with substitute shortages and teachers are now being asked to cover classes during their non-instructions period.  She noted that this practice is unsustainable.  In addition, teachers are paid more than substitutes so that this becomes a financial issue.  The Out of Bounds Spanish sign is mis-placed, remarking that this was also only translated into Spanish and not other languages.  There is concern regarding negotiations and teachers are continually asked to do more.  They want to ensure that we continue to work with public transportation.  L Saxon asked Administration to work towards an Attendance Policy that emphasizes importance of being at school.  Students are not coming to class and attendance is a real issue with financial impacts.  U Building was also brought up to see if this issue was being addressed.

She said AP testing went well as did the Earth Day Climate Summit.  She gave shout out to those who helped as well as to A King for textbook orders.  L Saxon commended the AA Committee for working on bell schedule.  

B Clarke is thankful for all of the gratitude she has received from parents and students for her efforts in getting kids caught up.  She notes that she is a traveling teacher which poses challenges to her.  She is proud of the work that everyone is doing and she is amazed by the work that is being done for the students during this challenging school year.  She thanked Dr. Magee for leading the faculty in this cause.

P Jaffe noted that it stands as submitted.

D Parcell noted that report stands as submitted.  L Saxon asked whether Operations is addressing the U Building concerns.  He is working with LAUSD and looking into bond money but so far those attempts have been unsuccessful.  He did clarify that there is repair money that is budgeted annually for extensive repairs.

M Rawson noted that report stands as submitted.  He informed Board that he has made approximately 400 phone calls to advocate for PCHS fund.  There is $15,000 in outstanding pledges.  There is also an alumni who has pledged $25,000 to the Transportation Assistance/Endowment Fund.  There is another alumni that wants to work to put together an event to support transportation.  He shared his commitment to support transportation to PCHS and reported that he and his wife will be making a $1000 donation to the Transportation Assistance/Endowment Fund.

JP Herrera noted that report stands as submitted.

P Magee noted that report stands as submitted.  She reminded the Board regarding Graduation on June 9, 2022 at 5 pm and encouraged Board members to attend.

B King reported that the Safety and Security Committee started the risk assessment process beginning with the front perimeter fencing.  They consulted with community safety partners, including  LAPD and LSD (our school resource officer). The committee is making a recommendation to the Board that they pursue a master safety plan which includes the front perimeter fencing as part of the broader hazard mitigation plan, while maintaining the current permanent and temporary fencing.  She noted that with safety, it is important to be deliberate and not rush into decisions.  She stated that one thing she has learned through CERT training with LAFD is to be deliberate, especially when large groups of students are involved.  Open campus gateway will be re-evaluated by committee when COVID restrictions change/end.  Committee also proposes engaging an architect to address the front perimeter with the following goals:  New entry controls executed in a more aesthetic manner and maintaining building codes.

D Williams noted that this recommendation can be presented to the Board again next month when the Board is slated to vote on this issue.  B King was encouraged to present any updates the committee has at that time, including other options which might be available.  It was requested that committee work with JP Herrera regarding any budgetary items and to look into building codes to ensure the group is working with the most up to date requirements.

J Fahn expressed her frustration with the amount of time this issue has taken and there was still no resolution.  D Williams confirmed that it will be agendized for next month's meeting.

B Clarke reported that they have been focusing on the Bell schedule.  This was presented to faculty today and is being discussed since this is a negotiable item.  Bell schedule and finances will be negotiated together.

R Tenan-Snow reported that T Ferral reported out regarding the CTE program.  Committee also heard from Credit Recovery and D Suarez offered a lot of information regarding this topic.  They also welcomed Tyler Hoffman and Lillie Garcia next year as student representatives.

L Saxon also noted that all materials are posted on the PCHS website for public viewing.

S Margiotta reported that Budget and Finance Committee did meet yesterday and that a lot of what was discussed will be gone through with JP Herrera.  She did proudly announce that the committee did make decisions on menstrual products so that Operations could move forward with that and start making sure that everything in place for the fall.  Committee reviewed new positions which we will discuss later in the meeting.  The Committee approve the positions to recommend to the Board with some revisions.  The Board materials have been updated to reflect the input from the B&F Committee. The Committee decided to hold off on IMA because we felt like there wasn't enough information so this will be reviewed at the next meeting.  We did review the PCHS Textbook budget for 2022/2023 and made some adjustments.  We did approve the textbook budget with our requested changed and this is being recommended to the BOT for approval.  The revised textbook budget will be presented by JP Herrera.  We are buying a lot of textbooks because so many of them are 20+ years old with outdated content.  We did recommend that the Administration use A-G funding to the extent possible to offset the financial impact to the general fund.

Election Committee did meet to certify the election and the newly elected Board of Trustees are as follows:  

Amir Ebtehadj, Community Seat (2 yrs)

Karen Ellis, Management/Admin Seat (2 yrs)

Maggie Nance, Student Elected Teacher Seat (1 yr)

David Pickard, Teacher Seat (2 yrs)

Melissa Schilling, Parent Seat (2 yrs)

Saken Sherkhanov, Traveling Parent (2 yrs)

B King reported that there is a very low turnout for election voting.  She noted that there was a boost in engagement last year.  Committee was discussing ideas to encourage engagement and possible campaigning, allowing candidates email community and looking to create some guidelines regarding a possible campaign policy.  D Williams noted that when she ran she had to create a video.  B Clarke noted that she would like to see Board member descriptions and backgrounds.  M Batts-King agreed that this should be posted along with the Board names on the PCHS website.  J Wells noted that the school could work with creating community related events to engage more individuals.

No update.

Audit Committee - contract has been signed with Audit Company.

Grade Appeal - B King reported they working on getting through the grade appeals and are trying to straighten out some logistical issues.

B Clarke reported that Dr. Magee meet with J Fahn and D Williams and survey is out to faculty and community.  She feels that these are very thorough and awaiting results.  Students are finalizing their survey and will get it out to their peers.  Once it is all compiled, committee will work with Dr. Magee to collect all of the data to get an overall view of how the school is doing.  

D Williams asked if there was a mechanism to resurvey people who didn't originally complete the survey because of limited options.  Dr. Magee noted that parents had the option of writing in free response questions.  The option to parents to take the revised survey will be highlighted in the school newsletter and it is open for 2 weeks for parents to complete this.

Dr. Magee reported that LAUSD had voted to suspend the COVID vaccine mandate until July 2023 and this includes Charter schools.  She reported that the school's plan is to comply with LAUSD mandate.  It is believed that LAUSD's goal is to be consistent with CA state COVID vaccine mandate.

Reviewed by JP Herrera and stands as submitted.  He highlighted substitute salaries which is significantly higher due to absences.  He believes that some of this may be offset by a reduction in certificated salaries.  They are also projecting a lower P2 attendance which will affect LCFF revenue.  He also highlighted the lower pupil count and ADA.  More information is to come.

LCAP Federal Addendum addressed to address Title III funding specific to professional development.  It was due May 4, 2022 so there wasn't time to submit to B&F/Board prior to submission.  It was noted that the contact information had been updated as requested by B&F Committee.

JP Herrera noted that this was tabled pending additional information from various departments.

The 2022/2023 Textbook Budget dated May 17, 2022 was reviewed.  The B&F Committee's recommendation to use A-G funding to offset costs where allowable was highlighted by JP Herrera.

New positions reviewed as submitted dated May 17, 2022.  

CTE Coordinator position is a new position to be funded by CTE/Perkins and will help expand our CTE pathways.  He noted that there is a lot opportunity to grow the program.  He referenced the 5 year strategic plan as submitted.  P Jaffe expressed her support of the position.  The position is being "floated" internally and it was noted that if the individual who is placed into this position isn't successful they would be returned to their prior position.  P Jaffe reported that there are goals to be met with this position as requested by B&F Committee.  P Jaffe also clarified that since this position is categorically funded it doesn't have to be approved by UTLA.  L Saxon voiced support of this position as a CTE teacher, noting that each increased pathway results in increased CTE revenue.  L Saxon also noted that this is one way students can show proficiency and that 9th Grade pods will be tied to CTE pathways beginning next year.  S Margiotta discussed why B&F ultimately decided to approve this position, noting that funding is tied to CTE monies vs. the general fund.  She also noted that the CTE teachers should be made aware of how this will impact their CTE funding.

JP Herrera discussed the Substitute Coordinator position noting that this is a replacement for the Senior Office Assistant position.  Additional responsibilities have been added to ensure that this is a full-time job.  P Jaffe clarified that this is an hourly position.

JP Herrera discussed Special Education Coordinator reporting that this is funded by Special Education Funding as well as encroachment into the general fund.  Salary scale was reviewed as submitted.  He stated position will help mitigation of liability risks and ensure compliance.  T Wilson has reported that there is need for additional help with the Special Education Dept. citing additional testing which is now required.  Position will be working with Special Education Director and Special Education Paraprofessionals.  Position does require an Administrative credential and it was noted that this position will have more of a leadership role vs. a Program Specialist.  It was reported that the Director of Special Education is currently spending a lot of time with litigation, attorneys, etc.  D Williams questioned whether an additional position was really needed for this as a non-teaching position.  P Jaffe stated that the amount of money saved by this position to mitigate litigation will offset the cost of the position's salary.  M Nance commented that she would like a full-time aid and questioned whether other litigation could be mitigated by providing additional support classroom.  L Saxon echoed M Nance's comments.  She asked how many students are there in Special Ed and is this a position that is common in other schools this size.  P Jaffe noted that other school's do have additional support.  She also clarified that this position will be "flown" internally and externally.  She also confirmed that this position will be in the classroom working with teachers, paraprofessionals and possibly students.  L Saxon noted that there is a plan to restructure Special Ed clarifying that this position may be part of that revamp.  B Clarke noted that there are dozens of lawsuits annually and other schools also have Co-Directors plus additional support.  She feels that this is needed.  Her other suggestion is to put Special Ed teachers on special assignment and pay them auxiliaries to the additional work in lieu of hiring a new employee stating that this will save the additional cost of benefits.  When asked, S Margiotta clarified that this solution was not considered by Budget and Finance Committee as it was not presented to Committee as an option.  P Jaffe noted that this is not currently an option because based upon the current credentialing of current teachers.  B&F Committee did ultimately recommend this position to the Board due to the potential decrease in litigation costs.

JP Herrera discussed bidding process and the recommendation is to continue with Chartwell.  Their revised bid is as submitted.  He noted that Chartwell's bid was a very competitive price and they are providing additional materials to promote this food service.

JP Herrera reviewed the MOU to approve the LA School Police Contract and confirmed that this will continue to be Officer Johnson.  There was a discussion as to whether this could be covered by other security personnel.  Does having an officer on campus enhance security.  D Williams noted that emergency response would likely be delayed due to the location of the school.  P Magee concurred with the proximity issues regarding getting emergency response from outside our local area.  

No Consent Agenda Items

B King discussed the 1/2 mast flag in front of the school in honor of the victims in Buffalo as well as COVID.

C Clauson was thanked for all of his efforted on behalf of the PCHS Board of Trustees.

Next Board meeting is June 7, 2022.

Board went into Closed Session to review Admin. Safety and Security report at 5:43 pm.  

Returned to open session 7:47 pm.  

Nothing to report out from Closed Session.