PALSS Meeting Recap May 21, 2013

1.0Discuss grade level configurations- We took a look at the grade configuration handout that was proposed at the last board meeting. Jen Brogan reported that she had received several emails from parents saying that they were in favor of either ACompression Model (consolidating elementary schools and enlarging Ripon High) or BFlex Model (having 3 K-6 elementaries, one middle school 7-8, and one K-8 Academy). Ripon High Principal Lance Morrow could not be at the meeting because his son was ill but he also emailed Jen suggesting we look at the Lincoln Unified School District model. Their school sites consist of one comprehensive high school, two alternative high schools, an independent learning center (grades 9-12), one middle school (7-8), two elementary schools serving grades K-6, and six elementary schools serving grades K-8. Parent Jacalyn Davis liked the Flex Model but suggested making it 6-8 so kids would have more time to make a connection at the middle school. Jacalyn has two children, a daughter at Ripon High and a son who is in 6th grade in the Tracy district where his mom works. She plans on enrolling him back in the Ripon district when he is in high school. Janeen Eisenhauer, a parent of a daughter at Ripon High and a son at Park View, is in favor of eliminating the singleton classes and switching classes at the middle school level to better prepare kids for high school. We took a look at a handout showing Unified School Districts in California. There are 20 school districts that are K-8, 43 that have flexible configurations, and 254 have middle schools. Karina Ilardi hopes the district will seriously consider looking at ways to eliminate singletons and look for ways to offer electives to middle school students. Master Facility Plan- Jen Brogan told the group about the need to develop a Master Facility Plan for the district. Currently, there is no plan in place. The district is currently rebuilding two schools without a long-range plan. Board member Tyhurst prepared his own extensive facility plan and urged the district to create a plan. This is critical because the city of Manteca is scheduled to build 1500 homes within the boundaries of the Ripon Unified School District. The district agreed to set a date for a board workshop on May 29 to start to develop a plan. Parent Liz Sesser said she had called the district to inquire about the time and location of the meeting and had yet to receive a phone call back. Karina Ilardi then shared an email that the PFC presidents received inviting them to participate in the board workshop. Jen Brogan said PALSS did not receive an invite. There was a bit of confusion as to whether this meeting was invite-only or was open to the public. After the PALSS meeting, Jen sent an email to the superintendent and board

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asking for clarification on the meeting and requesting an invite. The superintendent responded and said that this board workshop scheduled from 5-9 pm May 29 in the Ripon High Multipurpose Room will have participants working in small groups on different aspects of the facility plan. She explained that this type of meeting was similar to how the Strategic Plan was completed. It is open to the public as observers but only invited participants are allowed to participate in the process. PALSS then received an invite. While we appreciate being included in the process, we believe that this meeting should not be limited to a select few. Other parents or community members may have insightful ideas that would help the process. We feel that these workshops should be very inclusive to all interested parties in the beginning when gathering ideas and information and then those that are interested in being a part of a committee could have a chance to be included. 3.0 District Budget- At the last board meeting a few parents inquired about sweeping the categorical funds into the district general fund. Carla Escola and Anne Lyons asked about when programs that were cut were going to be restored. The sweeping was allowed by the governor a few years ago when districts were allowed flexibility in how categorical funds were spent. Jen told the group that PALSS plans on asking the board how much in savings the district receives from not making a payment on the Clinton South farm. With the bond passing, the district was able to pay off their debt obligation on the farm. We believe that the district has a sizeable chunk of money that is no longer required for the debt obligation that may be able to be used for the good of the district. Karina suggested that a few teachers at the high school could be hired to bring down the class sizes. Jen agreed and also said that reducing K-1 class sizes could also be looked at as well. Other-It was brought up to PALSS that teachers dont get priority in having their children placed at their same school. Parents at our meeting were surprised by this and Jacqui Davis said that because of the Allen Bill her district allows children to be at the same school with their parent. Jen Brogan also said Modesto City allows children of employees to attend the same school. However, because Ripon is open enrollment the district requires the teachers to go through the same lottery process as everyone else. Our feeling at the meeting is that teachers should be able to have their children attend the same school.

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