In attendance

Leadership Team Minutes 10/04/04

In attendance

Jacquie, Rich, Cynthia, Til, Miguel, Ron, Nate (Recorder), Martin (Facilitator), Joyce, Behrooz, Catherine, Allison, Val, Daria, Linda B, Linda F.

Last names available on request.

Summary of Actions:

We discussed the prospect of changing the year calendar for the year for the school leadership team. We then moved on to discussing potential changes to the daily schedule.

Next Meeting: November 1, 2004

Topic: Daily schedule and re-examine the “Statements of Concern”

Duration: One meeting at least

Facilitator: Til

Recorder: Martin

Goal: discuss daily schedule using anecdotal “data” and real numbers that will be gathered before then (see below),

decide if we want to suggest some concrete changes to the schedule,

develop concrete changes,

plan for school-wide discussion

Product: Plan for next meeting.

Before Next Time

Each department chair should survey his/her teachers:

Block Schedule

w What do you think about the block?

w If you taught in a perfect school, what would the schedule look like?

w Given that you administer the required curriculum in the given time, how is our schedule doing?

w Do you have any proposals for improving the daily schedule? What would make it better?

Tutorial

w What do you think about tutorial? Should we have it? Should we move it? Too much time? Too little?

w Do you have any proposals for improving tutorial?

7^th Period Athletics

w What do you think about 7^th period athletics?

7-Period Day

w If it were possible to implement, what would you think about a 7-period day? What would a 7-period schedule look like?

More Detailed Minutes:

Martin introduced Daria and Val, who gave the details about how the year’s calendar is decided.

Daria: The bargaining team decides on the options with calendars open at the team meeting. They present the district with two or three options, which are then voted on.

Val: the Union says that a single school will not want us to change our calendar from one that is district-wide or union agreed upon. We are allowed to waive elements of the contract, which is a huge deal. But we do it (Til, tutorial, Hillsdale’s SLC) We are talking about waiving a whole section of the contract. The District can say that we can’t waive it; the Board can say we can’t waive it. Waiving the language can leave us open to much vaguer guidelines, leaving us and our schedule open to interpretation.

Daria: we would need to have 2/3 vote to waive

Val: that could set us up for grievance between members

Daria: One school going year ‘round would be a big problem, for example, so it’s probably not going to happen. We would probably not be able to waive and go it alone.

Catherine: why are you talking about waiving language?

Martin: in order to change our schedule here at SMHS, we would have to waive the district calendar.

After some continued confusion, Catherine’s question was answered.

Val: We could spend a lot of time talking about our school’s calendar, the district could just say no.

Daria: the vote last year was about 20 votes shy of passing for an early calendar

Jacquie: several Board members have said that they would prefer to end at winter break. From our school’s administrative perspective, we’d rather be done at winter break.

Til: would we have to go through this process in order to get a 7-period day?

Val: it’s the same process. We would have to start a “change in working condition.” A different day’s schedule could be more easily waived.

Nate:

Val: if there is a calendar decision, there is some time to discuss a site waiver

Daria: Bargaining team is surveying within the month. we need to give time to hear about the change.

Jacquie: We have to decide if we are to advocate for the general vote.

Suggestions

Miguel: There is not a soul on the campus who hasn’t decided on this already. I don’t want to convince anyone.

Linda: we should do this in departments

Linda: we need a survey.

Miguel: departments don’t matter. It is a school wide survey.

Catherine: develop a multiple-choice survey by department

Martin: it seems like there isn’t a lot of support for continuing this discussion. Let’s stop.

Nate: we can use this left-over time to discuss other schedule issues: 7^th period athletics, 7 periods, tutorial, the block.

Jacquie: MPG said we could decide about 7^th period athletics on a school-by-school basis.

Alyson: Hasn’t Hillsdale has done a lot to adjust their schedule

Martin: What would be the goal of discussing the schedule?

Til: Implementation of Academic Core brings up the need for a 7 period day. But there is only so far Sam Johnson can go—no money, changes need to be teacher-led. We promised the community we would look at our schedule. Let’s look at some alternatives. Let’s start the process for next year.

Martin: are there other variables? tutorial, athletics, block-split

Til: student gov’t, foreign language might want for example to go with meeting every day

Nate: credits could be effected

Martin: what else would need to be moved around?

Miguel: 0-period

Joyce: We could move tutorial immediately. A-days: fifth period and tutorial, B-days: tutorial and the sixth. Tutorial would be better at the end of the day. They’d be fresher, have all their homework, athletes wouldn’t miss class.

Miguel: we need to look at the variables. We need to look at what we’ve got. We need to start by analyzing the effectiveness of the current schedule. I would start with a study, looking at what we have and what data we need to collect.

Til: It would be good to talk about how individual disciplines do under block or every-day. Hillsdale is asking the questions. We need to.

Miguel: can we spend the next time discussing the data gathering. How we are going to collect the data, then collect it, then bring it to the next meeting.

Nate and Behrooz: you can argue any way you want. What is the real reason for test scores up or down? Was it the building being closed? Changing population? 9/11?

Linda: student surveys would tell a lot.

Catherine: teacher’s perspective will be the key

Miguel: a lot of what we will collect will be anecdotal. So it may be, do you as a teacher think this is working?

Martin: would it be worth gathering emotional data?

Til: we have different opinions on campus that aren’t always heard and it was glossed over the first time we did this.

Behrooz: we should get student opinion.

Linda: I can search on the web for other schools’ processes.

Miguel: we can bring back anecdotal data next time.

Til: if we aren’t going to change the block, we won’t be changing anything.

Joyce: you can’t just say, “do you like block?”

Jacquie: we could use school-climate survey.

Behrooz: We should get the scores and the data for SAT, APs, STAR, CAHSEE, which Jaquie said she could do.