Brynn Green - wanted to talk about attendance and cheer.  She thinks attendance is too strict and taking away perks like Prom is to harsh.  Wants to allow kids to have the opportunity.  She also thinks that target sweeps is to difficult.  There are students who just want to go to the village to hang out.  Also wants to allow Cheer to get PE credits.  She thinks it should be recognized as a legitimate sport.

Aneesa Cole - She is concerned about transportation and the price is too high.  Her younger sister has to take the metro now as a freshman by herself because it is too expensive.  She doesn't think people should have to pay to come to school if you have been admitted to the school.  She is also concerned that sports have to help offset costs of team transportation.  

Yasmine Walker- She thinks cheer works really hard and is important.  Thinks that they should be able to get PE credits for participating.

Rebeca Hernandez - Thinks Cheer should be able to get PE credits for their sport.

Sophie Szedor - Concerned about truancy and tardy sweeps.  She feels that the attendance office struggles dealing with this.  She feels like students might decide not to come to school because they don't want to deal with absences.  She is also against truancy sweeps for first period.

Taylor Reger - She feels absence policy is too strict by forcing individuals to miss events like Prom.  They shouldn't be forced to miss sports/events due to truancies.

Erin Banks - As I understand it, there was a special vote in June regarding extending Dr. Magee's contract through the 2024-25 school year that is traditionally supposed to take place during the school year and under the normal course of business. I am curious why the board decided to vote in a special meeting during the summer this year instead of waiting?   For me, this is not about Dr. Magee's contract, it is about transparency that this board and administration seem to continuously struggle with. Communication and transparency should be at the forefront of running a school. The lack of communication has led parents to wonder about the safety of their children, left parents and students confused regarding how to change their schedules or even how to calculate their GPAs, and most of all has caused a rift in the relationship between administration and staff.   As a professional, I have to be evaluated for my performance all the time and I take those evaluations and learn and grow. As do my children here at Pali. When you disregard our evaluations and pleas for better communication I can only assume that you wish to go about your jobs unchallenged and without change. This is a detriment to the teachers, students and parents who choose to show up at Pali High every day. We ask again that you do better. 

Anonymous - I’m really concerned about my options for college. I’ve been speaking to coaches at a few universities about receiving a cheer scholarship but cheer isn’t listed on my transcript this year so I’m not eligible. This is so frustrating because other male sports have their sport on their transcript but we are all girls and it seems like we aren’t as important even though we cheer at the games and participate in leadership here. I don’t understand how this is even possible but it isn’t fair. We need to have cheer listed as an athletic team on our transcript, not just for the seniors but for all of us. This shouldn’t be something that keeps coming up year after year.

Anonymous - I see that the board is voting today about renewing Dr. Magee's contract. I, and many parents I've spoken to, would like to know what criteria is involved in this decision, and why parents aren't given access to this information -- or to the results of the very flawed parent survey that many of us filled out in the spring. It would seem that the surveys [of the students, the staff, and the parents] would play a large role in evaluating the Principal's performance. And yet I don't know of anyone who's been informed of the results. Frankly, the lack of transparency is shocking.

Anonymous - I'm hearing from my kids that they can't use the bathrooms because students are doing drugs, destroying/defacing property and/or literally setting fire to things. They said there are only 2 bathrooms open for 3000 students, because the school couldn't monitor the other bathrooms. Our family has literally never heard back from our 'academic counselor' since we started emailing/calling when our oldest started here in 2020. In the midst of all this obvious chaos and lack of resources, Pali High manages to spend a stratospherical $34 MILLION on air-conditioning? I'm all for A/C, but not at 10 times what it should actually cost. The balance of the money should be going toward teachers' salaries, classroom supplies, technology, and more academic counselors, for starters. And why haven't we received the results of the survey the parents took, where we could see what parents have said about the school? All we have to go on is talking to each other. And from talking to each other, we don't see why the principal's contract should be renewed.

Michelle Westbrook - I am a Cheer Mom and disappointed about the lack of support for the cheerleaders, The Cheerleaders contribution to the school community is being devalued. They are unable to receive credit for Cheer on their transcripts and therefore unable to have opportunities for Cheer Scholarships from colleges and universities. The administration was made aware of this problem prior to the beginning of this fall semester and I’m told in years prior but nothing has been done and no resolution has been given. Something must be done before the scheduling deadline for classes occurs. At this time the cheerleaders don’t receive credit at all, not even PE credit. However PE or Cheer/PE on a transcript will not qualify for scholarships. Other sports have credit for the sport for JV and Advanced sport for Varsity. Cheer as well as other athletic teams on campus should have the same opportunities. The mission states PCHS will empower our diverse student population to make positive contributions to the global community by dedicating our resources to ensure educational excellence, civic responsibility, and personal growth. This empowerment should apply to Cheer and not just be reserved for male dominated sports.

Sara Kohan - Cheer should also be given credit on transcript. Our girls have worked hard to get here. And keep working hard to do what they love just like the other sport that are played. There is no reason why it shouldn’t be recognized on their transcript.

Anonymous - It is unacceptable that cheerleaders are not getting credit for supporting this school. they honestly should go on strike since their work is going unnoticed. treat this how you would football and take action

Anonymous - Cheerleading is a sport that involves strength endurance dedication and competition. All participants should receive credit and acknowledgment for their participation and dedication to this sport. It is no different than any other sports team on campus. Cheer leaders dedicate many hours practicing and performing and deserve acknowledgment for their hard work.

Sophia Hibbert - Cheerleaders need to deserve school credit for their sport it’s not fair at all that male sports do but cheer doesn’t.

Sharona Shenassa - Pls consider hiring more counselors for our kids with help with college planning

Anonymous - Pali’s college counseling department needs more staff/support. For those that can’t afford a college counselor, the path picking classes etc should be a team effort with counselor/student and unfortunately the department seems so overwhelmed that parents have to get squeaky to get answers/student attention.

Anonymous - We need more college counselors to assist the lower class men in figuring out their 4 year plan. The counselors are completely overwhelmed with the amount of upper class they assist which is completely understandable, however that leaves No one to give the lower class men any assistance in figuring out a 4 year plan early on in the game and often that is what is needed.

Anonymous - More college counselors needed.  I believe our students can benefit from more college counselors in the college center. Our hope is Pali will be able to add to their knowledgeable counselors. 

Diana Hopkins - Pali needs more college counselors! Students and their parents need to understand, as early as 9th grade, the decisions that need to be considered and weighed as they look toward college. This counseling must be ongoing and tailored for each student. Today’s counselors are excellent at what they do, but there is not enough time in the day to deliver what is needed to all of Pali. The counselor to student ratio is inadequate and not consistent with the brand Pali aspires to have. Please prioritize this. 

Nika Fouquet - Are there any plans to add another college counselor and guidance counselor to the Pali High staff? If not, there should be. Pali high is an amazing school but it’s extremely challenging as a parent and for my student to navigate and obtain accurate information on the correct academic paths. There are close to 3,000 students at Pali. There are 8 guidance counselors who are expected to support over 300 students effectively. There are 3 college counselors expected to give college guidance to 1,000 students each…it’s just not realistic and we all know this. This current situation does not set up the staff or our students for success. 
There’s much discussion about mental health and how best to support students/staff. 
This is an area that deserves the same level of attention. A school of Pali high’s reputation and abundant resources should be able to add more staff to support it’s counseling offices so they can have the opportunity and space to engaged better with students and parents.

Anonymous - Is there a way to have additional staff respond to parent emails? I have emailed my child's counselor since January 2022 without a response. Whoever I did forward it to Dr. Lee and he responded on behalf of my child's counselor. I felt bad and have not forwarded any other emails to him but have NO correspondence with my child's counselor-Ms. Schon. I know they are busy, but it should not be this way.

Anonymous - I understand the current team for college counseling could use some additional support. What can we do to ensure all the students and parents have the access and information they need? Can we bring in more counselors?

Neda Saraf - Please provide more guidance in road map to College, specifically UC recognized courses that will help bump GPA and also count for college credit. Please provide more help to counseling office so that they are able to answer our questions and concerns promptly and address student needs. My son has been to the counseling office several times to be turned away. Emails are not returned, google form requests are not processed in a reasonable time and it’s causing a lot of anxiety and confusion for my son. 

Anonymous - As parents navigating the college requirements/readiness, it would be so ideal to have a couple additional counselors, for both parents and students. Our counselors are absolutely amazing and are killing it but they are just slammed. Definitely could use a couple more. Also, the addition of some certificated career/life coaches would definitely be a positive addition to our beloved Pali High, again for both both students/parents. Please consider. 

Proud Cheer Mom - Other sports have credit for the sport for JV and Advanced sport for Varsity. Cheer as well as other athletic teams on campus should have the same opportunities. The mission states PCHS will empower our diverse student population to make positive contributions to the global community by dedicating our resources to ensure educational excellence, civic responsibility, and personal growth. This empowerment should apply to Cheer and not just be reserved for male dominated sports.

Anonymous - In the amendment to be voted on today, it states Dr. Magee received an evaluation of "Satisfactory" or "Outstanding" from the Board as a basis for extending her contract. In fact, the results of the parent survey showed a very different picture. The survey initially went out with only positive options for the ratings of the school in general and the administration's performance, when this was corrected and a "None of the Above" option was added, 51% of parents selected that option with regard to the administration and 82% selected that option with regard to the school's performance. So clearly in both cases, the majority of the parents do not agree with the "positive options" for the administration or the school. In addition, over 39% of staff graded the school as C or worse. This does not reflect "Outstanding" or even "Satisfactory" performance by the Principal. This matter needs to be fully addressed and the extension of Dr. Magee's contract needs to be tabled until there is full disclosure, and clear, open discussion of the level of dissatisfaction of Dr. Magee by the staff and the parent body.

Kirin Nehoray - As my 10th grade son enters the next phase of high school, he (and many of his peers) are ambitiously trying to organize his schedule to be of a college preparatory nature. In his attempt to understand the complicated world of rigor/AP/honors and extra-curricular balance, he is seeking college guidance and an academic preparedness guidance from the Pali counseling office. At this time, it seems that then Pali counseling office is not prepared to take on the role of assisting high performing students on their academic paths. Resources/people/time are not seemingly available to adequately oversee the college preparedness of ambitious students who need help understanding the complicated route ahead of them. There should be a college advisory counseling office to help get these kids on the paths they seek. They come to you to for guidance - give it to them.

Ruth Kocher - Last year I spoke at a Board Meeting and asked why the Cheer Team is not treated equally to the other sports teams. Now I understand that it is still not being acknowledged as a SPORT on the student's transcripts - why is this? Which other Pali athletics activity is not recognized as a SPORT? Other schools recognize the Cheer Team. They train and practice through the summer to be ready for Football Season. They train twice a week and have games home and away, JV and Varsity each week. They Cheer at Basketball games and then compete against other schools in CIF competitions in the Spring. So I would like a full explanation as to why Cheer is not credited as a SPORT. Hopefully, it is an oversight and can be corrected asap as my daughter has given up other opportunities that would have credited her to be part of the Cheer Team for Pali High, and Pali High promotes Cheer alongside all its other Athletics teams, which, if it is not equal is very misleading and very unfair and should be examined immediately.

Anonymous - The Cheerleaders contribution to the school community is being devalued. They are unable to receive credit for Cheer on their transcripts and therefore unable to have opportunities for Cheer Scholarships from colleges and universities. The administration was made aware of this problem prior to the beginning of this fall semester and I’m told in years prior but nothing has been done and no resolution has been given. Something must be done before the scheduling deadline for classes occurs. At this time the cheerleaders don’t receive credit at all, not even PE credit. However PE or Cheer/PE on a transcript will not qualify for scholarships. Other sports have credit for the sport for JV and Advanced sport for Varsity. Cheer as well as other athletic teams on campus should have the same opportunities. The mission states PCHS will empower our diverse student population to make positive contributions to the global community by dedicating our resources to ensure educational excellence, civic responsibility, and personal growth. This empowerment should apply to Cheer and not just be reserved for male dominated sports.

Anonymous

General Comment (Please read at the beginning of the meeting)

How was Pam Magee’s performance evaluated and why was there a secret meeting called to vote to extend her contract when only three people were in attendance? We are all aware of the meeting as is the Palisadian Post - can you please explain this Why hasn’t the school addressed the results of the recent survey?

Kristin Sibson - In an LAUSD Bulletin on July 6, 2016, CHEER became a CIF sport as a result of California Assembly Bill 949. With this change, the Interscholastic Athletic Department (IAD) was to ensure that the District cheer programs follow CIF guidelines. Pali High has a fantastic cheer team that not only supports the school spirit at PEP rallies, cheers on the sidelines for both football and basketball games but also participates in CIF competitions representing Pali High in the spring. Despite being listed as a “sport” by the Pali High Athletics Department, cheer is NOT recognized as a sport on student transcripts. Why? What steps need to be taken to have our cheerleader athletes get appropriate recognition for colleges? Are there any other Pali High teams that participate in CIF competitions that do not receive credit on their transcripts?

Anonymous - Why did the board hold a secret meeting to vote to extend Dr. McGee’s contract? I believe this goes against what the charter states how this voting is supposed to be done. We deserve transparency and this doesn’t feel like that.

Anonymous - I realize you're not allowed to answer this due to the rules governing school board meetings, but I want to ask these questions anyway. Why did the previous Board Chair [who's no longer a Trustee] convene a special meeting on Friday June 24th at 9am -- giving stakeholders less than 24 hours notice -- to vote on the motion to extend Dr. Magee's contract? The last regularly scheduled Board meeting was just 3 days prior, on Tuesday June 21st. Why wouldn't this yearly contract Vote be held during that final Board meeting, as it had been in previous years? [In 2021 and 2019 these votes were held on the last Board meeting of the year -- 2020 Board meeting info is not available on the website.] I heard that the move to convene a special meeting was so irregular that it was deemed illegal, because these contract votes must be held during regular Board meetings. So what was that about?

Anonymous - I would like the matter of the Pali cheerleaders not being acknowledged for their hard work, commitment and dedication via their transcripts, to be addressed. Cheer is notated as a Sport/Team on the Pali website, yet is not acknowledged as such on our girls' Transcripts. This aggressively goes against the Mission Statement regarding equity for ALL students. As the parent of a Senior/Varsity Cheerleader, I feel that this glaring omission not only diminishes ALL of our girls' contributions, but also denies our Senior girls the opportunity to apply for college athletic/cheer scholarships. The fact that the MALE, football players are afforded this opportunity, is not lost on me. The student athlete cheerleaders work just as hard as the male football players to maintain their GPAs, in order to support Pali. Why is one team's effort and hard work rewarded over another's? Why is Football deemed worthy of being a team/sport, but not Cheer?

Teryna Hanuscin - Cheerleading not being recognized as a sport.Cheer was identified as a CIF sanctioned sport as a result of CA assembly bill 949. It has been brought to my attention Pali is not recognizing cheer as a CIF sport. Cheer is promoted on Pali's website in the athletics department but then is not being treated equally. Why is it that Pali is not recognizing Cheer as a sport on our cheerleaders transcripts? What do we need to do for these individuals to be recognized and eligible for college programs. As it stands now the cheer team has had funding cut and the program is not being treated equitably. This is very apparent to all of us on the sidelines.

Anonymous - Since the parent school survey that was sent out was flawed, not giving parents an opportunity to share any unfavorable multiple choice options, have there been discussions to re-do the survey? Although it was later corrected, it was not amended in time so the results are clearly inaccurate.  I'm also curious to know if the survey that went out to the students had the same errors? 

Anonymous - Highly concerned about a special meeting being called 2 days after what was billed as the "final meeting for the school year" in June. Stakeholders were given less than 24 hours notice. The agenda was to review the Survey Results and vote on a motion to extend Magee's contract. Only 3 of the 6 members who are eligible to vote were in attendance and the extension was approved based on only 3 votes. Also the school/administration satisfaction survey was designed so only possible to give positive feedback on principal and admin! That’s outrageous and of course extremely biased and not reflective on a scale of highly agree to highly disagree. You couldn’t even skip the question - you had to say something positive. An important note: 318 of the 416 parent respondents [76%] replied within the first 2 days, when the survey didn't offer a None Of The Above option to the required multiple choice questions. 
When given the option of "none of the above", 82% of respondents chose that option: What's also unclear is how Dr. Magee "received an evaluation of Satisfactory or Outstanding from the Board" when 39.1% of the staff surveyed gave the school a C grade or worse. I, along with many parents want answers and responses to all items mentioned above.

Molly Cohen - Hello teachers, faculty, and board members! My name is Molly Cohen and I'm currently a senior at Pali. I wanted to share my opposition to certain aspects of the Attendance Policy up for a vote tonight. Considering the severity of the punishment, a 3-day clearing period is too slim. Of course students should be encouraged and required to clear absences, but I think the time period should be extended to a couple weeks or even the individual grading period where the absence occurred. As a senior, threatening to take away important events like Prom, Homecoming, Grad Night, and more feels unreasonable, especially since this is such an abrupt change and will likely take time to adjust. I think it would be better to phase in stricter limits rather than pushing them all out at once. I fear many students in my class will be unaware of the consequences and thus very confused at the end of the year. I think we should work to find a better solution that prioritizes attendance and doesn’t force students to miss once in a lifetime opportunities. The idea of bridging the attendance gap at Pali is incredibly important to not only the wellbeing of each student, but how our school functions as a whole. However, there may be less punitive and controversial ways to go about it. 

Anonymous - As a family with a Pali High student, we are deeply concerned about the handling of the renewal of the principal's employment contract. First, we are perplexed that a survey would call for comments on the principal's performance, but only allow positive responses. The survey also did not allow for submission unless the question was answered, forcing 100% of submissions to result in a response of satisfied or better. We have never seen any survey like this and would like the Board to explain the reason behind restricting any critical responses. Second, we would like the Board to explain why they attempted to renew the principal's contract outside of a regular Board meeting, and why they would renew the contract before reviewing the results of the survey revised to allow for a response that is less than "satisfied" (which revised survey was only published after parent complaints.) The actions of the Board, especially involving the principal of the school, should be fully transparent. The Board has only done the Pali High students and families (and themselves) a disservice by seemingly attempting to finagle the survey and hold special Board meetings to take actions to which all have a stake.

Keri Nishi - Cheerleading should be denoted as a sport on academic transcript.  Is cheerleading considered a sport at Palisades? Moreover, do students who participate in the cheer program receive credit for cheer as a sport on their academic transcripts? It is my understanding that the California Interscholastic Federation, as well as California Governor Jerry Brown signed state assembly bill 949 into law, making cheerleading an officially sanctioned sport beginning with the 2017-18 academic year. In this way, I would think that just like any other sport at PCHS, cheerleading should be noted as such on their transcripts and the girls should be getting recognized for their involvement as athletes.

P Garff discussed ASB events.  This week is Spirit Week.  There was a football game and pep rally which were successful.  There is general confusion about the Pali Period and looking for clarification.  Students are also in opposition to the proposed Attendance Policy.

M Batts-King discussed the concern regarding adding Cheer to being reflected as a sport and a PE credit.  She also noted that the website needs to be updated, including current courses offered.  There are also complaints regarding the transportation fee, specifically the late bus costs and process.  Security at the football game was also not the same as in previous years.

S Sherkhanav- nothing to add

A Paris reported that collegues are happy to be back and adjusting to the new school year.

M Nance requested a flow-chart of current supervision responsibilities.  D Pickard also voiced clarification regarding the Pali Period.

M Monahan notes that report stands as submitted.  She is excited to be here.  S Sherkhanov asked if there are openings for a math teacher and she noted that they are interviewing for math paraprofessionals.  There may be one additional opening but otherwise fully staffed.

D Parcell - Report stands as submitted.

M Nance gave report on behalf of B King.  Brian Banducci, Don Parcell and Brooke King have met with Architect 2x over summer break for informational, preliminary meetings.  A meeting is scheduled for this Friday, 8/24 after which the Architect will meet with a Stakeholder group prior to formal Board presentation-to review plans and give feedback.  Safety Committee meeting is scheduled for 9/13 at 3:15 via Zoom to begin the process of reviewing/updating the SEOP.  Safety Committee needs new Parent members!  Contact Brooke King bking@palihigh.org if interested.

M Rawson report stands as submitted

JP Herrera - report stands as submitted.

P Magee - reports stands as submitted.  She also noted that tomorrow is the first Pali Period and they will be hammering out specifics.  There are activities planned to review the Attendance Policy tomorrow as well.  She noted that attendance was a HUGE issue last year and they are trying to return to a more normal now that we are in a better health situation.  She also gave a shout-out to teachers and staff for a smooth transition back to school.  She also discussed STOPIt and feels like it is going to be a better for sharing concerns.  S Margiotta noted that she was excited about the leadership series.

D Pickard - Nothing to report.  First meeting is this Thursday August 25, 2022.

S Margiotta reported that B&F Committee met on Monday, August 22, 2022.  Items being presented by JP Herrera were reviewed and B&F did approve the 2022/2023 Budget Update and are recommending it to the Board for their approval.  In addition, B&F reviewed the Datalink Networks Contract and are also recommending this to the Board of Trustees for approval with one clerical correction (noted in B&F Committee meeting minutes).

Audit Committee - no update

Grade Appeal Committee - Nothing to report

Survey Committee - nothing to report

P Magee noted that school continues to follow LACDPH and broader recommendations.  Weekly testing is suspended but they are sharing home rapid tests.  Advising not to come to school when experiencing symptoms.  Mask mandates are also no longer in place.

P Magee discussed the Attendance Policy noting that it has been presented.  Administration went back at the recommendation of the Board and this was discussed during a PD day.  Although it is long, they did try to streamline the policy and make it easy for interpretation.  She discussed the high absentee rate last year and is recommending the policy to put good habits back into place.  They are trying to avoid this being punitive to students who are wanting to take leadership opportunities and participating in other events.  They are also looking at it through an equity lense.  

C Lee discussed Virtual Academy program which sky-rocked in COVID.  We have gone from 65-180 students in Virtual Academy.  He noted that there is a contract required for each student and the contract presented includes the new legal requirements.  L Saxon thanked R Tenan-Snow for getting this program together and off the ground.

B Banducci discussed the contract added to the Board materials.  Services are being provided pro-bono (free of charge).  

JP Herrera reviewed 2021-2022 Unaudited Actuals as presented.

JP reviewed and stands as submitted.

JP Herrera reviewed and stands as submitted.  They will provide Ed Tech Coordinator services and data base support.  S Margiotta noted that the Budget and Finance Committee did approve this with 1 clerical clarification and recommends this contract to the Board.

This item was tabled for the September 20, 2022 Board of Trustees meeting.

S Margiotta spoke to the evaluation process for the Executive Director/Principal, Dr. Magee.  Dr. Magee's review was to be done prior to July 1, 2022.  It was completed by the Evaluation Committee and presented to Dr. Magee on June 21, 2022 at the end of the regular Board of Trustees meeting.  This evaluation was done in closed session (similar to all other evaluations).  Subsequently, a Special Board meeting was scheduled on June 24, 2022 to review the school's survey results and consider the Eighth Amendment to her contract.  S Margiotta noted that the school survey results were presented to the Board after the completion of Dr. Magee's evaluation.  In addition, the surveys sent to stakeholders were not intended to be included in Dr. Magee's evaluation, rather they were surveys regarding PCHS overall.  Dr. Magee received an evaluation rating of Satisfactory or better and the Evaluation Committee recommended renewing her contract.  She further clarified that the Special Board meeting could be called within 24-hours and that the Board of Trustees did have quorum.  She further noted that the 3 individuals approving the contract were the un-interested parties on the Board.  The contract was being brought back at this meeting to be approved at a regular Board of Trustees meeting.  L Saxon also noted that if Dr. Magee received a rating of Satisfactory or better the contract requires it to be renewed.

P Magee - oversight report stands as submitted.  She noted the school did not receive an academic score at all.  She also noted that the school continues to work on collecting and providing accurate data regarding student performance and contract with DataLink will help work in that regard.  L Saxon clarified no schools received an academic rating because there was no data available from the previous year due to COVID.  Color coding dashboard for everyone at next evaluation will be purple because there will not be data over time.  P Magee noted that the "2" in fiscal findings was the highest we could possibly have and she noted that PCHS did have a strong fiscal report for last year.

Date of Annual Board Goal Setting Retreat is Saturday, September 10, 2022 at 10 am.  Location TBD

Date of next regular Board Meeting is Tuesday, September 20, 2022 at 5 pm.