Board and Faculty Attendees:  Denise Kubick, Leslie Levy, Lisa Souther, Lois Darbonne, Teresa Gebler, Mickie Reimers, Carol Ruch, Toni Johnson, Pam Hansson, Nancy Venezia, Jeff Gilbert, Carol Spillman Rogge, Joanne Fiorucci, Deb Stucke, Cheryl Lawton, Janice Kelly, Susan Merport, Sabrina Braccini

Welcome Pledge of Allegiance – Meeting called to order by Lois Darbonne, President, at 6:30 pm 

Introduction of New District Superintendent – Dr. David Miller, SMUHSD Superintendent
Dr. Miller will be our superintendent until next June.  He has 25 years experience as a superintendent in California, the Middle East and Africa.  His focus will be on improving education for all students at a very fine district.  The district has currently met the 3% budget reserve requirement; therefore, no intervention will take place by the State of CA.  For the Measure M construction bond, the number of projects will be cut from around 75 to 12 -15 projects.  This will also consolidate the completion timeframe from six to four years.  No taxes will be levied on local taxpayers until next year when the building actually starts.  Most all the schools in the district made their API score goals this past year.  The priority will be to help boost scores in the underprivileged and minority populations.  This district is in good shape and has unlimited potential.  Dr. Miller is here to promote our vision. At HHS, the Smaller Learning Community (SLC) philosophy is performing well, which the test scores support.  There will be no change to it at HHS.  Dr. Miller stated that he has an open door policy and will respond personally to all inquiries, so please feel free to email or contact him at any time.

Approval of Minutes – Carol Spillman Rogge, Secretary
Minutes from the last two Executive Board meetings (July 25 and Aug. 20, 2007 respectively) were presented and it was moved MSP (Moved, Seconded, Passed) to approve the minutes as presented. Votes: All Ayes. Motion carried.  A sign-up sheet was passed around to indicate presence and ask for committee volunteers.

Principals’ Report  – Jeff Gilbert, Lead Principal
HHS is in it’s 5th week.  We had a smooth opening.  Jeff mentioned the Newsletter for Parents available on Schoolloop and the website.  The school’s API scores rose by an over all 10 points last year. This was lower than the prior year, but still due to the structural changes made at the school over the past four years.  We need to look at the trends over time—over the past four years, socioeconomically-disadvantaged students are up 199 pts and the school as a whole up over 100 pts. This year HHS saw the Latino subgroup scores dropped 9 points. There were drops in the special education and economically disadvantaged subgroup scores as well. This may be due to certain problems with testing processes and procedures last year, which can be improved upon this year.  The focus will now be to move away from the structural changes towards developing new and better instructional practices using analysis of the test data.
Parent Volunteers Are Needed for:
Site Council – The Site council committee will start meeting soon.  HHS has a democratic decision-making process with its staff.  The SLC Council is the in-house decision-making group that covers curriculum, instruction, and professional development. The Site Council includes the SLC group, with the addition of parents, and provides the school site plan for the year. Parent input is important.  The Site Council needs six parent volunteers for this year - two from each house.   If you are interested in serving, please let the administration know.  The meetings are the 4th Monday of each month at 3:30 pm. 
PR Committee – Cheryl Lawton, Florence House Principal
This Wednesday night Sept. 12th, 6:30 pm in the Career center.  We need to plan our PR and media outreach.  We are looking at partnerships with corporations for job shadowing opportunities, corp. sponsorships, etc. All are invited to attend.

Fundraising Report – Teresa Gebler, VP Ways and Means
The Ways and Means VPs met with most of the other booster chairs to determine their involvement in a large-scale type fundraiser this year. This event will be predicated on help/participation from the benefiting booster/student groups. They liked the idea of a community-wide event with possibly an auction and entertainment by student groups.  All groups who participate can earn money.  For this new fundraiser, each group will designate amounts needed to determine the fundraising goal.  It will not be a traditional 5-way split for community event.

Currently the donation to the AKOTT fundraiser from the beginning of school appeal is $8,370 + $2,419 from last year’s AKOTT + $700 earmarked for AKOTT from the Foundation appeal, for a total of $10,789 so far.

Treasurer’s report – Toni Johnson, Treasurer
Audit acceptance: Joanne Fiorucci, Auditor
All of the financial reports balanced and the records are clear.  The Bank reconciliation was to the penny.  It was moved MSP to adopt the 2006-2007 audit of PTSO records as presented.  Votes: All Ayes. Motion carried. 
Toni presented the Final Treasurer’s report of last year, which was audited by Joanne and the Current Treasurer’s report dated 7/01/07 – 9/10/07
Lois interjected the results of the PTSO Parent Survey and referred to the chart on the back of the Agenda.  Parents overwhelmingly supported giving funds to teacher/classroom needs and secondarily to student organizations and the library.  College scholarships were a fourth priority.  This lead into a discussion of the Proposed PTSO Budget for 2007-2008. Toni Johnson referred to the three-column budget comparison.  This year, due to funds not dispersed last year, there is a big carryover.  The funding priorities this year include: Staff wish list, library, technology, and student enrichment grants.  There was a question raised about the division of monies from AKOTT. Discussion followed. It was clarified that $7,000 represents 1/5 of the total fundraising goal by AKOTT for PTSO. AKOTT is the only fundraiser for PTSO.  Discussion regarding making sure that PTSO makes their goal this year.  Unlike other years, money comes in all year long.  Discussion of the history of the separate accounts set-up.   PTSO takes separate direct donations also and some comes from membership overages.  Question/discussion of use of ECRIP by music boosters only.  It was moved MSP to accept the HHS PTSO 2007 -2008 Proposed Budget as presented.  Votes: All Ayes. Motion carried. 

President’s report – Lois Darbonne, President
No report.
Presentation and financial request – Zeb Rose and Aniya Atasuntseva, Business Managers from the HHS Student Newspaper The Scroll
Last year the paper only printed one issue due to budget cuts and went to an on-line format. The paper now has a new advisor and a class during 4th period.  The student staff wants to keep the long-standing tradition of a newspaper at HHS alive as a printed edition, but wants to maintain an on-line version also.  They asked the PTSO for $2,000 to enable them to print eight issues of 1,200 copies. $1,200 would cover printing costs, $500 to cover supplies, cameras, Adobe In Design training, and tape recorders, and $300 to subsidize convention attendance to the JAA conference.  Question about sharing resources with the Yearbook staff. Very little is shared.  The SLC has set aside money to print five issues, about $1,000.  The business managers are trying to fundraise and have applied for a GATE grant and other grant options.  Any amount would help the 20 students in the class, with over half of them new to the staff. Selling ads has been a poor source of funds in the past. Suggested that they contact past editors and alumni for support also.   They will have a Classifieds for students/ teachers this year and will charge a small fee for on-line. The managers feel that they need to provide a credible product again before ads will gain in popularity. Questions/Suggestions: email aniya1719@aol.com. The 1st issue is planned for Oct. 15th.  HHSscroll.com
Discussion of giving an amount tonight and then revisit giving further funds after the AKOTT fundraiser.  The PTSO gave $500 last year to the Newspaper. A motion was made to allocate $500 now. It was seconded.  Discussion followed.   An Amendment to the Motion was proposed to revisit the request for the full amount at a later date.  Discussion of when.  Discussion of amounts given to all groups last year.  Every group received $500. Discussion of giving $1,000 due to $500 left over from last year.  Question about the minimum needed to for Newspaper to function.  Total of $2,000: $1,000 pledged by SLC and requested $1,000 from PTSO.   The 1st Motion and Amendment was voted on and there was a call for a show of hands. All those in favor of granting $500: 14 In favor, 9 Opposed. Motion carried.

Booster Club Reports – (as needed)
Athletic booster mtg. tomorrow night 9/11 - Election of officers
Music booster mtg. Sept. 19th
Drama booster mtg.  Last Monday
No Dance report

Student Report – No report

Teacher Rep. Report – Debra Stucke, Marrakech / Mathematics
A group of Marrakech teachers (5-7) has been awarded a Solar Energy Grant and are buying solar panels through a company that will help to train students in the panel installations.  There is also a Community Outreach portion to the grant proposal.  The solar company is also offering HHS a kickback amount if parents purchase solar panels.  Contact Dave Emanuel for further information.  Question about how students were hearing about the opportunity.  Through their Advisors.
Deb suggested that the PTSO put new PTSO sign-up forms in the teachers’ boxes as they have all received their 1st pay checks.  It was suggested that Deb let all teachers/departments know that they can submit requests for donations of supplies/materials to the PTSO Secretary for inclusion
on the PTSO webpage.

Old Business
Approval of Changes to By-laws – Pam Hansson
Pam went over the specific changes to the By-laws, which have not been updated in a few years.  It was moved MSP to accept the BYLAWS for HHS PTSO as presented.  Votes: All Ayes. Motion carried. 

New Business
Reschedule Oct. 8th PTSO meeting – to Oct. 15th due to student/staff holiday on 8th.  This was agreed to. There was also some discussion of new 6:30 p.m. start time of all Business meetings.
Release of funds – These items were approved
            School newspaper - $500 
            New teacher funds - Motion to amend budget from $500 to accommodate 14 new teachers
            receiving $40 each for a total of $560.  It was moved MSP to increase budget by $60.  Votes:
            All Ayes. Motion carried. 

 

Program – How to Navigate HHS
Presented by Administration and Staff

 

Jeff Gilbert introduced Martha Jones, the new librarian HHS shares with Burlingame.  She has past experience with split shifts.  She is happy to be here and is pleased that HHS library’s technology component is updated with all new computers.  Her focus for this year will be to provide new, attractive and easy to navigate signage and upgrade the fiction collection due to the new Sustained Silent Reading program adopted at HHS.  Any funds available will go to those two items and to maintaining a high standard library, along with keeping the library open all five days.  

Jeff Gilbert then presented the Program, which included the following slides:

1. Overview of HHS Administrative Organization 2007-2008 
2. Cornerstones of HHS – Common vision at school
   Equity, Personalization, Rigor, Shared Decision Making and Autonomy
3. Traditional High School Model (Variable Personalization & Expectation) vs. the HHS Model (High Personal and Rigor) These we do well at the 9th and 10th grade program.

Discussion of Curriculum and Houses: same – no difference.  Teaching Schedule: 7 periods - teach four classes + one advisory, so two periods for planning and collaboration – expensive, but works.
At the Junior/Senior grades, the budget has forced almost a 2-house system. Exploring a partnership w/CSM, Corporate paths to internships, a Senior portfolio of work. A different kind of personalization at the Jr./Sr. levels.  Also a possible Stanford Univ. partnership for an early college school in the future.

Positives:  HHS received the most money in the entire district in scholarships for our graduating seniors, $2.6 million.  Thanks in part to the hard work of Susan Merport, College and Career Advisor, and our teacher Advisors. We also had the most Stanford University acceptances.
Discussion of Handouts describing HHS Administration Organization and Who’s Who lists.
The meeting split into two groups for small group discussions with Admin. and Staff.  The Program closed with a tour of campus/offices.

Closing: Meeting adjourned 8:45 pm

Respectfully submitted:
Carol Spillman Rogge, Recording Secretary
c.spillman@comcast.net