Email correspondence due to scheduling conflicts for this meeting:
I apologize for the scheduling conflicts we’ve had with the republican and democratic caucus nights, concerts, etc. We need to review and vote on our community council plan in order to submit it to the district/state on March 25th.
I propose we do two things:
- I’ll summarize our land trust plan and TSSA plan below and we can hold a remote vote
- We find a time to meet in the next few weeks to answer any questions and cover other related issues (safe walking routes plan, etc.)
The main thing here is that I need you to vote on the plan. I’ll send out the signature form to your email through the land trust site. Watch for that and add your signature if you agree with the plan. If you have any concerns or questions, feel free to email me or call me or reply all to this email and we can answer your questions.
Summary of Land Trust & TSSA Plans
We get around $140,000 each year in our Land Trust budget. As a refresher, Land Trust funds are basically money the state makes on land it owns that gets funneled out to schools. Historically, we have allotted that entire amount to our instructional coaching program. We started this before the district adopted coaching as a district initiative and our coaching model has been largely what is being implemented throughout the district now that the success of such programs is catching on.
What does that actually look like? In our school, the land trust funds allow us to have essentially two instructional coaches available every period. This is a mix of two part-time coaches that make a full FTE (full-time equivalent, or person) and then seven teachers that coach on their prep (we buy out their prep and they prep on their own time).
Those coaches use that time to meet with teachers, observe classes, set goals, gather and analyze data, etc. They also help to implement school-wide initiatives. An example of this during the past year, coaches helped all teachers record a lesson, reflect on the lesson through various lenses, and make changes accordingly.
TSSA is a different animal. This fund is about the same amount each year as land trust, and is to be centered on three areas: instructional coaching (which we cover through land trust), professional development, and school needs. That last category is where most of our funds get spent each year, with the largest chunk going to purchasing enough chromebooks to keep every kid with a chromebook. Chromebooks last about five years, and we have to purchase between 300-600 chromebooks a year depending on the year to keep them running.
What Now?
That’s really the basics. I’ve attached the official plans for you to look at, and please email or call me if you have any questions. I’ll send the signature invitation out today as well, so if you approve of the plan, please follow the link and add your signature.
Also, please let me know if there are any Tuesdays at 6 pm in the next few weeks that you CAN’T make work for a meeting and we’ll see if there is one where all or most of you can make it.
