Hello friends,
I derive great joy from working at a place like Legacy Preparatory Academy where parents are so willing to contribute to the life of their children’s school. I’ve been in this profession for over 25 years, and some of my dearest and longest friendships have come from my association with the parents of students I have taught or with parents that I have worked with on various school projects or committees.
As you are aware, fourteen parents volunteered to serve on the School Community Council. I do not know all of the people on that list, but those I do know would have been excellent council members. Unfortunately, we could only seat two this time. Those two are Jeanne Voehl and Kristi Burgess.
Our next SCC meeting will occur at 4:30 PM on Thursday, October 1st. The main focus of that meeting will be TSSA / School LAND Trust…more on that coming soon.
These two parents and the six others who are already on the council are your representatives. Share your ideas for school improvement with them. Know that even if you are not an official voting member of the SCC, the meetings are open to the public and tend to be rather informal. It is not uncommon for the committee to involve attendees in the conversation.
Now for a little Legacy civics lesson on the distinction between three important bodies within our school: 1) The Board. 2) The Builders. 3) The School Community Council.
- The Board is the official policy-making body of the school, recognized by the State of Utah. The Board is not elected. It acts only as a whole on behalf of the school as a whole. Though Board members are usually parents, individual Board members do not represent any specific constituency within the school – not even parents – and exercise no individual authority. The Board’s main job is to assure our authorizer, the State of Utah, that Legacy is in compliance with the terms of the charter; that agreement allows us to continue to operate as a public school. Therefore, the board tends to be more hands-off and outward-looking than the other two bodies.
- The Builders, like the board, also does not represent any particular interest group within the school, including parents. Unlike the Board, the Builders are inward-looking. As their name suggests, their main role is to build or boost the school, never to tear it down. It finds meaningful ways for parents to promote the life of the school and participate in their children’s education. All of LPA parents are considered “builders”. You may join this committee at any time to help with specific projects our school has created for our students, or volunteer individually when the Builder’s Committee reaches out for help.
- The School Community Council, like the Board, is also officially recognized by the State of Utah. Unlike the Board, the School Community Council is an inward-looking body that consists of elected parent and employee representatives. It does not make binding policy or rules. Its main role is to get down to the nitty-gritty of how the school operates and to advise the administration and the Board. Whereas the Builders’ role is to promote the school, the School Community Council is the place where parents and faculty come together with the administration to discuss almost any topic that is not confidential and to do so in the open, in full public view, not behind closed doors.
So, why did I give you this civics lesson? There are three reasons:
- Serve where you will find the most joy! The purpose or the activities of one of these committees may suit your interests more than another. For example, if you are most interested in making your parent voice heard in improving the operations of the school across a broad array of issues ranging from such things as how to spend certain grant monies; what percentage of the budget should be devoted to this or to that priority; whether the curriculum in the health class is appropriate for your child; whether your children are safe at school; etc., then the School Community Council might be the place for you. If you would rather fly at 30,000 feet and focus on broad areas of school law, the technicalities of school budgeting and finance, or ensuring that Legacy’s practices align with the charter that the State has granted us, then the Board might be a better fit for you. Finally, if you want to get down on the level of hands-on classroom support, or if your private life at the moment does not allow the long-term time commitment demanded by the Board or the School Community Council, or if you just enjoy helping with and/or organizing activities, then the Builders might be the most enjoyable place for you. My point is this: participate in the group(s) that fit your interests most closely.
- All three of these bodies have projects or subcommittees wherein you can make a meaningful contribution. The Builders always welcome parents’ participation, and as you know, each family is expected to donate 40 hours of volunteer service to the school (20 hours for single-parent families). Even if you were not officially elected to the School Community Council or appointed to the Board, the good work that these two bodies would like to undertake always exceeds the number of people that serve on them officially. Both groups have subcommittees that would be even more active with greater parent participation.
Again, thanks to each parent that expressed an interest in serving on the School Community Council, and I extend a special “thank you” in advance to Jeanne and Kristi for their upcoming service.
Best wishes,
Nyman Brooks
Executive Director