District Parent Advisory Council

November 2003 Newsletter

The District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC) is a group headed by Superintendent Pulliam and meets quarterly. Its purpose is to communicate district-wide activity and build support for student and family articulation in the community from birth to High School. Its members are the current PTO and Site Council Chairpersons from all school sites, the Director of Curriculum, the Assistant Superintendent, the Director of Special Services, the ECFE Chairperson, the Legislative Task Force Chairperson, and an At Large (FAIR, IDDS) representative.

Their first meeting of the year was Novemober 6 and the following topics were reviewed:

The local Legislative Task Force will now be operating under a new name title I-CARE standing for I (inform / involve / invest) – Citizens Advocating Resources for Education. They are working on improving lines of communication by way of a website with link resources, a column in school newsletters updating current efforts, and better lines of connection statewide to unite forces.

Budgeting for this year will be focused on adhering to the requirements the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) involving achievement and accountability. An Operations Specialist has been contracted to conduct a Departmental Audit in the areas of Business Office, Human Resources, Transportation, Technology, and Communications and will examine all levels of efficiency throughout the district. The district’s goal in budgeting with reduced funding will be to look at the quality of the programs that are preserved to keep the integrity of each site.

Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) results covering the past (4) years of SLP data were distributed. All areas of testing showed steady improvement as well as ranking above the state average. The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) results from Spring 2003 grades third through eighth were also distributed. The graphs showed an average that all grades are performing at or above grade level. As a result of the NCLB Act their will be a Data Coordinator on staff at the district office who will collect and maintain achievement test scores.

A Technology Upgrade is currently being reviewed that will include on-line parent access in several areas such as attendance, progress, test results and homework.

Safety Upgrades are taking focus as main construction comes to a close. K-12 program security is the top priority. Safety Camera Systems are in place at all sites with the possibility of more cameras being added in the larger sites. Future upgrade plans include Single Access Entry with a human monitor, Picture Card Access for internal movement, Door Sensors that will indicate when a door is ajar or propped open. The security during after school hours when a building is in use is still being studied.

School News: Aquila School is bringing back their Cultural Diversity Fair; Peter Hobart just completed their Read-A-Thon. Cedar Manor site council is working on a site based strategic plan ;Susan Lindgren just completed their Walk-A-Thon fundraiser and their site council is also working on a strategic plan; Jr. High just completed their magazine fundraiser and one of the things their site council is reviewing are transitions both in and out of the Jr. High; Sr. High is implementing a newly drafted dress code and is gearing up for a class scheduling shift to block scheduling; ECFE just finished their bi-annual clothing sale and is advocating for high parent involvement during the pre-school years.

The next meeting of this group will be February 12, 2004.

Rachel Richardson – Site Council
Katherine Cramer - PTO