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La Jolla High School Governance Committee Members present: Valerie Benito, Kerry Dill, Zane Friberg, Michael Palm, Dana Shelburne, Pat Spire, Joanne Wainscott, Linda Dowley, Tony Farwell, Jamie Ginsberg, Jackie Helm, Joan Hiser, Liz Lindenfeld. The meeting was called to order by Liz Lindenfeld. Jamie Ginsberg moved to approve April minutes. It was seconded and approved. Approved minutes will be posted to the school website. Tim Rush was a valued member of the LJHS faculty and this Governance Team. His untimely death has saddened us all. He will be missed. It was noted that he was inducted into the Cum Laude Society today. 1. College Application Protocol Update – Linda Dowley circulated a draft of the new College Application Handbook, assembled by Michelle Ganon. This Handbook incorporates many materials currently circulated to students, but they are compiled and organized in a manner that will hopefully be useful LJHS juniors and seniors during their college application process. Governance members were asked to review the draft and forward comments to Michelle or Linda. The committee met with Ms. Behnke and Solberg last week to examine the second part of the College Application Protocol – the process of requesting transcripts from the registrar, and how to streamline the process, and/or reallocate duties within the counseling office and registrar’s office. Linda and Michelle will meet with Ty Eveleth to explore the use of Naviance to facilitate the process. 2. Clarification of Cell Phone/Ipod policy – The school policy is that cell phones are turned off and put away during instruction time. They can be used before or after school or during passing periods. Ipods are allowed to be used after school and should be kept in backpacks and turned off. If either come out or are used during instruction time, they are subject to being confiscated by teachers. It was suggested sending an eblast to parents to make sure they are aware of the school policy. 3. Community Service Hours – Years ago, the school looked into the possibility of requiring community service hours for students, however, the verification process was cumbersome. Some teachers require community service as part of their curriculum. It was noted that there are several clubs on campus that incorporate volunteerism into their programs. 4. Staff Changes – Mr. Del Rio is leaving LJHS and moving to the dark side (aka - that private school that starts with a “B”). The job has been posted, and Mr. Shelburne is optimistic about filling the position. Roundtable Liz Lindenfeld brought up homework during AP exams. Mr. Shelburne thought that most teachers understood that in the period immediately prior and during the exams, students should be allowed time to study. There may be problems with a teacher or a very few teachers, but even non-AP teachers are aware of the testing schedule and don’t ratchet up demands on students during that time. Sports conflicts (such as rained-out games being rescheduled during exams) was discussed, and parents who have concerns are directed to write to the Athletic Director at the County Office of Education who oversees CIF. Mr. Shelburne reported that sports physicals will be offered June 1 from 6-8 p.m. The eligibility process will be handled at that time. He also reported that there were 13 students who did not take the CST exams seriously. These students will not be allowed to enroll in advanced or AP courses the following year. Additionally, since standardized test scores need to be maintained at a certain level for LJHS to continue with Instructional Autonomy status, students who don’t support the school by doing their best on the CST exams will not receive counselor and teacher letters of recommendation for college. Linda Dowley brought up block scheduling for discussion, as it has been mentioned at Muirlands. Mr. Shelburne noted that math and foreign language instruction works best when done daily. Science instruction benefits from longer class periods offered under block scheduling. Since Muirlands and LJHS share music and Latin instructors and sports facilities, they need to be on similar schedules. When weighing the pros and cons, the block schedule loses. Mr. Shelburne was asked for a budget update. The “May revise” has not yet been received from the district. The LJHS budget reflecting the 2.5% cut has sent to the district, and we are waiting to hear if we will get any money back. The counselor allocation was discussed, and it was noted that the school continues to rely on the Foundation to fill in the gaps between what the district pays for and what the school needs. Our next meeting (the final one for the school year) is Tuesday, June 13 at 2:30 in room 304. The meeting was adjourned at 3:15 p.m. Minutes submitted by Linda Dowley.
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