Red Clay parents: Take back RCPAC

Red Clay parents, we need more of you at RCPAC!

Please come out to the RCPAC meeting next Monday Sept. 24 at 6pm at Baltz Elementary. We need more parents and more ideas added to the discussion. You can bring the kids! – a light dinner and child supervision is provided, and they can get their homework done. I’ll post the agenda when I receive it.

[Update 9/22: It was pointed out to me that Red Clay is not necessarily prepared for an unexpectedly large number of people to show up. While I think this is extremely unlikely, and would be a GOOD problem to have, if you do go for the first time, please be aware that only enough food and child supervision is available for the number anticipated, so please be considerate. Also, like any public meeting, don’t speak out of turn. Members and non-members alike should make sure they are recognized by the chair before speaking. For updated info click here.]

RCPAC is the Red Clay Parent Advisory Council, as described by Red Clay:

The Red Clay Parent Advisory Council (RCPAC) is comprised of parent representatives from each school and concerned community members who support Red Clay schools. Monthly RCPAC meetings serve as a direct link between parents, schools and the school district. RCPAC members make recommendations concerning parent involvement, communication issues and support initiatives to improve student achievement in all schools.

Actually in my opinion, that last part about parents making recommendations seems to have been lost over the years, and we need to bring it back! I can’t recall a parent ever making a motion on the floor, or a vote on any parent recommendation. Also in my observance, the RCPAC meetings are chaired de facto not by elected RCPAC officers, but by the District staff liaison. And last time I checked, nearly half the parent membership were also District employees. Who are great and dedicated members, but we also need more unaffiliated parents for a broader view.

Let’s turn it around! We need YOUR VOICE to bring RCPAC up to its full potential as a parental advisory body. Bring your issues to the group and get the conversation going again so we can start doing some Parent Advising and bringing strong parent recommendations to the Board.

Some District and school officials (including principals) are under the impression that only two parents from each school may join RCPAC. This is not true, so please come one, come all. The bylaws say at least two members from each school, not only two members. But you don’t even need to represent a school. RCPAC meetings are open to the public and anyone may attend.

To be a voting member you need to be appointed by any principal (just ask; they are usually having trouble finding someone). But being a voting member hardly matters, since in two years I can’t recall a general vote on anything other than approval of minutes or election of officers.

[…]

The three main annual activities of RCPAC are:

• Organizing the annual Red Clay Resource Fair in November.
• Providing input on parent involvement portion of Red Clay’s annual application for Consolidated Grant funding.
• Providing input on Board parent involvement policy.

The main item on the agenda is usually a presentation by a guest speaker on some District program. The meeting also includes a lengthy round table report where every member recounts events at his or her school.

These are all important activities for parent involvement, but we need to add more policy discussions and a framework for making actual parent advisory recommendations.

RCPAC meetings are monthly on Mondays, with the location rotating to a different Red Clay school each month. The schedule is posted on the RCPAC website, and once you are on the list you will get an email each month with dates and agenda.

Meeting schedule:

 

Date	School	Location
September 24, 2012	Baltz Elementary	Library
October 15, 2012	Marbrook Elementary	Library
November 13, 2012	John Dickinson HS	Cafeteria
December 3, 2012	Richardson Park Elementary	Cafeteria
January 28, 2013	Forest Oak Elementary	Library
February 25, 2013	Mote Elementary	Library
March 18, 2013	Richey Elementary	Cafeteria
April 22, 2013	Highlands Elementary	Cafeteria
May 20, 2013	Lewis Dual Language	Library
RED CLAY FAMILY RESOURCE FAIR More Information En Español	John Dickinson  High School	Saturday, November 17, 2012 10:00AM to 1:00PM