Peter Garff: 

Dear Board Members,

I would like to apologize for not being able to attend the board meeting tonight. In my review of the bussing cost change and in talking with the ASB class, it is my suggestion that the board does not approve 14% increase in bussing costs. As a student of Pali I pride myself on being part of a school with over 100 zip codes. Frankly, I am worried that if we increase the price, bus ridership will drop meaning that we will have less busses to send to farther locations. It is my understanding that bussing fundraising has not occurred in a few years and I believe that restarting said fundraising is critical to increase diversity. ASB has even began talks about increasing parking pass prices to subsidize increased bussing costs. The students at Pali prioritize getting a diverse student population to school and voting no on this pricing change is essential in doing so. Thank you.

Sophie Szeder:

The bus prices should not be raised. Students already have a difficult time commuting to Pali and raising bus prices won't help. If Pali prides themselves off of having 100+ different student zipcodes, raising bus prices will lower that number. Though there are scholarships, they won't be able to cover every student that isn't able to pay the high price. Raising the bus prices will only bring student diversity down.

Talia Davood:

Hi everyone! My name is Talia Davood and so am a senior here at Pali. Thank you to everyone on the board for taking the time to meet monthly on behalf of our school. Pali is known for its diverse student body and inclusivity of over 100 zip codes. When parents ask me if they should send their students to Pali, the main aspect I highlight is how Pali is a mix of so many different types of students, ideas, cultures, and ambitions. I strongly urge that the board refrain from raising the price for transportation. In my eyes, access to quality education is a right and I don’t want this price increase to introduce another layer of inequity. I urge the board to look at other alternatives such as fundraising. The senior class and booster club do this each year and I believe it is worth exploring as our school has hundreds of families who may be able to donate. I also urge the board to revisit other areas that might be able to have funding cut and compare the weight of the resulting consequences to cutting budget funds. Although I’m leaving this year, I truly hope Pali can continue to nurture the diversity it does today. Thank you all for listening.

Don Parcell presented the "PCHS Transportation Presentation for the Board", which can be found in the Board materials.

Monica Batts-King: You mentioned at the last meeting the historical number of buses we have used to serve students. Where is that?

Don Parcell: It is in the report on page 6 of the presentation.

Sara Margiotta: What is striking to me is that the cost of these buses has doubled. Without doing something to create something more sustainable, the fear is that this program will not be able to continue because we would not be able to afford it.

Saken Sherkhanov: How much do we get per student?

Juan Pablo Herrera: Approximately $12,000 per student.

Saken Sherkhanov: And how many students ride the buses?

Don Parcell: About 400 students.

Saken Sherkhanov: And how far are these buses traveling?

Don Parcell: I don't know the exact stops, but as far as north Long Beach.

Saken Sherkhanov: Our vacancy rate Is increasing because the cost is too high.

Don Parcell: If you look at all 7 buses, they are 95% full.

Saken Sherkhanov: Have we looked at different companies? How do they compare?

Don Parcell: We have gone through this process and went with the lowest cost provider, while also maintaining high quality. This has all gone through the Budget and Finance Committee and was Board approved.

Saken Sherkhanov: Do you think the ridership has decreased because there are less buses or are local schools becoming a better option?

Don Parcell: I think each family has their own reasons for making that decision based on a lot of factors. The free TAP cards have also have a big influence as more students use public transportation.

Saken Sherkhanov: It would be great to gather this data to know why people are not using the transportation.

Don Parcell: They have done this through the Attendance Office and it seems very few people are choosing other schools because of transportation issues.

Robert Rene: The connection between transportation and diversity has been established and we serve over 100 zip codes. Various groups have done a lot of work in finding a solution that is sustainable. Diversity has increased over the years and the work that has been done to find a compromise.

Saken Sherkhanov: There are new metro lines have been great. Maybe those are also options for students.

Don Parcell: We have worked closely with metro and the Pali Express to and from Santa Monica has been wonderful for students and metro has been great working with us to match our bell schedules.

Monica Batts-King: So how much would it cost families per month, according to your proposal?

Don Parcell: $285 per month. We do not ask for the full cost up front and take monthly payments. We divide the total cost amongst the 10 school months of the year. We will know more exact numbers in late April.

Monica Batts-King: At what point is Palisades going to figure out how to fund this enough so that families are not paying as much? The cost continues to rise and this may deter families from choosing to come here. Even the student body President and other students are urging the Board to seriously consider whether to pass this and we need to think about long-term solutions so we are not raising the price year after year.

Don Parcell: We are making a decision on a proposal on how much to fund the transportation scholarships and what is going to be the total family cost. The way we structured it is "up to" $2850 per year for bus transportation, but this number could be less once we know more exact numbers in April.

Monica Batts-King: Going from 15 to 7 buses is a red flag that Palisades needs to realize why we are turning students away because they cannot afford to pay these high transportation costs. It can be up to a 2 hour commute and they are making a tremendous effort to be here. We continue to downsize and the carpool option has not been transparently promoted to families. If you have multiple kids that attend Pali, that cost can be close to $1000. We have made this a priority and it's time we actually treat it as such. More people would be riding the bus if we could figure out a solution.

Maggie Nance: It is true that if the cost was lower, more students would ride the bus, but the reality of the situation is that we need to consider what to do for next year. No one is voting to eliminate buses tonight, but the proposal before us. Moving forward, we need to figure out if this is promoting diversity and if this is worth continuing to keep spending money on.

Sara Margiotta: The buses at Revere are provided because they are a magnet school. There is no direct correlation between the cost of our buses and the matriculation of students from Revere to Pali High.

Don Parcell: Pali has mirrored Revere's diversity in the past the correlation has been about the same. Our numbers versus Revere's numbers have shown that we have done slightly better in increasing a small percentage of the overall diversity on our campus.

Sara Margiotta: We do need to address long-term solutions so we do not have to have this conversation every year.

Martha Monahan and Tami Wilson presented the Special Education Coordinator Position, which can be found in the HR Board Report.

Sarah Crompton: How is this job description different from the Director of Student Support Services?

Tami Wilson: I work in oversight and supervision of many departments and have to be present for student meetings in high-risk situations. There is a big compliance piece that this job requires and it is important to support 504 compliance. The Special Education Department needs support.

Sarah Crompton: How did you come to this price-point for this position's salary?

Juan Pablo Herrera: This was determined last year by reviewing comps from other schools with similar jobs and felt it was the most appropriate starting point.

Sara Margiotta: Budget and Finance did meet to discuss the cost for this year and we do have additional money to cover these costs.

Martha Monahan: Special Education lawsuits do have an effect on the general fund.

Karen Ellis: This person won't necessarily start at Step 1?

Martha Monahan: No, this depends on experience.

Maggie Nance: This person will be an administrator?

Martha: Yes, they will be an unrepresented administrator.

Maggie: Are we losing more than a million dollars in the next 5 years in lawsuits?

Juan Pablo: Yes, through legal counsel, legal fees, and other associated costs. Costs vary and I cannot say for sure whether the cost of this position over the next 5 years will save costs of potential litigation.

Tami Wilson: If we continue this way we will continue to deal with as many issues as we have been. I think this is a way for us to help reduce the total amount of issues and due process filings.

Juan Pablo Herrera: This position is mid-management and this person in the past has been a teacher on assignment.

Saken: We are hiring to make the students lives better. This is something we need and having a strong IEP program is important.

Sarah: Is this a 12 month assignment?

Martha: Yes, there is a lot of work that is done in the summer months to prepare for the following school year.

Martha Monahan presented the CTC Declaration of Need.

Next Board of Trustees meeting is Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 5:00 p.m.