Friday, December 13, 2019

Friday, December 13th at 8:30a

Location: School Cafeteria

Officers in attendance: Andrea Efthymiou, Faye Lubinof, Esta Efstathiadis, Litza Stark, Melissa Bailey, Kristin Jones, Rebekah Kondrat

President’s Report

  • Programming update: 

    • Noguchi will be starting soon: 1st Grade

    • Rioult dance is in progress: 4th Grade

    • Art House is set to start early next year: 2nd and 5th grade 

    • Audubon is set to start early next year: 3rd Grade

    • WonderSparks Puppet dates forthcoming: Kindergarten

Questions: 

  • Friday Enrichment, are those still happening? 

    • Those programs are fully owned by the school administration, but the PA will follow up and get back with an answer.

  • Pi Day? Will we use the MoMath?

    • We are in contact with them and are trying to get them to come back this year.

    • Exact date TBD: we will need volunteers!

Treasurer’s Report

  • Melissa went line-by-line through the Treasurer’s Report

    • Additional upcoming fundraisers

      • Read-a-thon: participation last year way low (~100 kids out of the 700 child student body). We would like to get more participation this year and are open to ideas! More info coming soon, but this will likely be the week of February Break or Spring Break.

      • Pizzeria Uno: February 9-15th

  • Participatory Budgeting:

    • Sarah Chutiangtong submitted the idea to soundproof the cafeteria which will cost ~$300k. If we get into the final round, we will need to get enough votes and since we’re a small school, this might be a challenge, but we will let you know if we get into the finals!

  • Spring 2020 programming and fundraising: as soon as we have dates approved by the school administration. We will need Volunteers!

    • Sweetheart Dance: Tentative Feb 7th

      • Esta will run point on this event along with the rest of the PA

    • Teacher Talent Night: Date TBD. 

      • We need a parent, or group of parents to help with planning!

    • PI Day: Date TBD (March). 

      • We will need volunteers!

    • International Night: tentative May 28.

      • We want as many countries and cultures represented as possible! If you would like to be on the planning committee for this event, please reach out to the PA!

  • Annex Discussion with SLT Reps (Discussion time: 15 min)

    • Faye (Co-President and SLT member): No decision has been made yet, the vote is on Monday. The SLT is working really hard to hear everyone’s concerns.

    • Process

      • Monday 12/16/19: Consensus from the SLT on affected grades.

      • March: Office of District Planning (ODP) submits Education Impact Statement for affected grades to the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP).

      • March/April: ODP has a period of public forums and comments; assembles comments to aide the PEP’s final decision.

      • Prior to April 2020: Final Vote is made by the Panel for Educational Policy.

    • Questions: SLT members present: 

    • Faye, America, Carmen

      • Has there ever been an overturn?

        • In extreme rare cases, the consensus can be overturned in very rare and unique circumstances. This usually results in a compromise of some sort, not a full reversal.

      • Will the EIC be tailored to the SLT vote?

        • Yes, they will build their plan based on the SLT consensus vote outcome.

      • Question for SLT members, thoughts between consecutive grades/years v split?

        • Could be easier if they are consecutive because the kids are used to it, but there are testing years to consider with some grades.

        • Bottom line: there are pros and cons to each. The SLT will do its best to make the decision with the lowest impact.

      • Is there a shortlist for the SLT meeting happening on Monday?

        • Yes, the SLT is working hard to walk into the meeting on Monday with the “best” shortlist possible.

        • Remember too, the teachers also have a vote.

      • Does the administration have a position?

        • The only thing the SLT has heard is the initial thought was to bus PreK and K, but we know PreK cannot be bussed.

        • Other than that, they have not expressed a position.

      • Can parents come and should parents come to the SLT meeting on Monday 12/16/19?

        • It is a public meeting meaning observers can attend, but they cannot speak. 

        • If you speak out of turn you will be excused from the meeting. Think of it like observing a courtroom.

      • Is it too late to request a time to speak?

        • Not yet according to the by-laws, but it may not be best since the meeting is packed and the SLT has gathered information and feels they can make the decision.

      • Suggestion: Have parents gather questions and concerns and come with a list. The PA has been and will continue to do this.

      • Does the DOE have a recommendation based on what has happened in the past?

        • They don’t seem to as they make them on a case-by-case basis.

        • There are other schools that have this as a permanent arrangement; bussing to an annex.

      • Has anyone seen any positive comments about the bussing?

        • There were some positive comments, but many concerns.

        • Faye: believe that the SLT has a responsibility to inform prospective parents beforehand, so that they can make an informed decision when applying to PS 85. 

Andrea motion to adjourn

Melissa seconded

Date: 
Friday, December 13, 2019