Index of SPPS Budget Discussion http://www.e-democracy.org/stpaul/spps-posts.html _________________________________________ I would agree with most of what Roger states, however, I serve on the Arlington High School site council and we are very involved in making a difference as a council for the schools well being as a whole at Arlington. We have worked on many issues related to our school that involve the district and how the district has painted a picture of us in the past years.
We were quite vocal on the Probation issue. We have worked hard to see that the Placement Office works with us to see that Arlington does not become a dumping ground for students that other high schools do not want. Many all over the district have concurred with the opinion that when the school first opened, because there was never a defined attendance area for Arlington, it became easy for other schools to send students our way, that they did not wish to have. We worked with the district to fine tune the Student Placement process and to make certain that Arlington enrollment was handled in a more even-handed way. We have been quite active to send the strong message to the district on the mismanagement of the probation issue and the fact that without a policy at the time for probation and how a school got on a probationary list, with no criteria clearly spelled out of how to get off the list, this notion was counter-productive. Arlington has been quite successful at generating positive press about the activities of the student body and teaching staff at our school, and we have a very gifted and talented staff that really believes that what we do is essential in producing the best student talent we can. Our principal is one of the top professionals that I have ever had the privilege of working with in my life, and I am honored to know him. He always has the school, staff and students in mind in everything he does. I would have to say, that we listen to his counsel because he is wise, but we have certainly gone our own way and pushed the envelope on hot button issues that we feel passionate about, and he would not be able to tackle on his own. I think that site councils also legitimize the fact that we can work at the grassroots level very effectively and affect change and cause wonderful things to happen for our school community and the community at large. Both of my children chose to attend Arlington although they are part of the smallest minority in the school. My daughter is now a Sophomore at College of Saint Catherine and just made the Dean's list, she was always in the upper bracket of achievers at Arlington, and got an excellent education and great preparation for working in the global community with the diversity that has served her very well. My son is currently a Sophomore at Arlington and loves the school. He has had the opportunity to get out and work in the community as a result of his involvement in NJROTC, and though he has decided not to pursue the military after he leaves high school, has learned great leadership skills as a result. My involvement on site council helps me stay in touch with up to date discussions on district and school budget issues, as well as working on current issues that our school needs to work on. I find it rewarding and would highly recommend that others get involved in site council whether you have a student or not in the school. We are always looking for community members that can help craft community friendly bridges between the school and the community. Consider joining a site council near your home and get involved. You won't regret it. Pamela Ellison Como Park Saint Paul ----- Original Message ----- From: "List Manager" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "St. Paul Issues Forum" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2004 11:34 AM Subject: Re: [StPaul] SPPS: Site Councils > NEAT - info about SPPS budget: > http://tinyurl.com/3gt66 > _________________________________________ > > > Posted With Permission For Roger Barr: > -------------------------------------- > > I have served on two site councils, advised numerous councils, and > helped the Office of Leadership Development create best practices > that are used by many site councils in the St. Paul Public Schools. > Like all education/budget issues, the answer(s) to this question is > more complex than we would like it to be. > > First, it is necessary to understand that a school operates with > funds it controls as well as funds that are administered by central > office. District wide, sites (or schools) see about 49 percent of > the total budget, while central office administers 51 percent. Most > of that 51 percent funds programs or costs that go directly to > schools, such as food service, transportation, nurses, special ed. > teachers and the like. The list of district funding responsibilities > is extensive. > > In contrast, most of the (district average) 49 percent that schools > have direct control over goes to funding staff. The site also has > revenue for non staff costs for supplies and so on. Again, the list > of possible funding responsibilities at the school level is extensive. > > When schools develop their SCIP or strategic plan, their plan uses > resources (staff and non-staff) allocated directly to the school, as > well as resources (staff and non staff) administered by the central > office. Not surprisingly, most schools approach the planning/budget > process from this perspective: Do we have enough revenue from all > sources to "cover" our current programs next year? Adjustments are > made to programs in accordance to what revenues are > available--tempered by parental input/influence and district > oversight. > > With dollars tightening and performance expectations on the rise, > this old method of planning is being replaced by data driven > decision making. More and more, schools are expected to review > performance data and plan based on research, as opposed to tradition > or preference. You will hear data driven decision making applauded > and criticized. > > Now, here is how site councils fit into the picture. According to > district policy, the site council's role is to "approve and monitor" > the SCIP, or School Continuous Improvement Plan, which until this > year included the budget. The site council's role isn't necessarily > to CREATE the SCIP and budget, only to approve and monitor it. Some > school site councils take a very active role in the development of > the SCIP/budget. Site council members serve on committees that make > recommendations or even draft portions of the SCIP document. The > principal presents the SCIP to the site council for its review and > approval. It is not uncommon for debate to result in modifications > to the plan before it is approved by the site council and forwarded > to the district's accountability office for compliance review. > > It is also district policy that the principal has the final authority > (and the legal accountability) in a building and can overrule the > recommendations of the site council. In truth, some principals > maintain tight control over the SCIP/budget process. In such > schools, the role of the site council "to approve and monitor" can be > diminished to what some frustrated members call a "rubber stamp." > > Most site councils lie somewhere in-between the two poles of very > high involvement/influence and very minimal involvement /influence in > the planning and budgeting process. In general, in my seven years of > hanging around site councils, I have seen marked improvement in the > involvement and influence of site councils (read, teachers, staff, > parents, community members, students) in the planning and budgeting > process in our schools. Overall, the focus in the relationship > between site councils and principals is shifting, sometimes slowly, > from "Who gets to make the decision?" to "How do we make a good > decision?" > > We still have a ways to go in developing an influential site council > at every school. This is not simply because principals dominate the > process. There is a fairly sharp learning curve associated with > being a knowledgeable and effective site council member. Site > council members move through the system with their children. Thus a > site council can be strong one year, and back to square one the next > as its leadership and skilled members "graduate" with their students. > > The St. Paul Public Schools is working hard to train principals to > work collaboratively with their school communities in the planning > process. These efforts have been, are, and must be in the future > matched with similar efforts to prepare staff and especially parents > to assume active and constructive roles as site council members. > > Parents interested in joining the site council at their school should > contact their school office and ask for the names of the site council > chairs. It is also possible for community members to join site > councils even though they do not have students in the school. My > organization, Support Our Schools, has helped schools find community > members, and also helped community members find a school site council > to join. Community members who are interested in joining a site > council are welcome to contact me. > > Roger Barr > Support Our Schools > 10 River Park Plaza > St. Paul, MN 55107 > 651-603-8858 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > _____________________________________________ > SPPS Budget Reduction Forum - Feb. 23-27 > Co-Sponsored By NEAT: http://www.stpaulneat.org/ > _____________________________________________ > NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: > http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul > > Archive Address: > http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/ > _____________________________________________ SPPS Budget Reduction Forum - Feb. 23-27 Co-Sponsored By NEAT: http://www.stpaulneat.org/ _____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
