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2018 Reflections: A New Board Management System

2018 Reflections: A New Board Management System

Our goal is to make our work and decision making visible to the public by providing better access to documents and information and that’s what we are working toward with our new system, Novus! Novus offers a user-friendly format with a helpful search function that will make it easier than ever to find information for…

2018 Reflections: A Communications Plan and Active Social Media Accounts

2018 Reflections: A Communications Plan and Active Social Media Accounts

We recognize that as the first locally controlled School Board in seventeen years, our priority is gaining the trust of the public through our actions. We know how important it is for the public to understand how the Board operates and to provide opportunities for the community to be heard. That is why Transparency and…

2018 Reflections: 4 New Committees

2018 Reflections: 4 New Committees

With nine Board members, we are able to break down into smaller committees to focus on specific areas that are critical to educational excellence. Those committees are: Policy, Finance & Facilities, District Partnerships & Community Engagement and Student Achievement & Support. Our committee structure allows us to use our experience and expertise to make informed…

Looking ahead to 2019: 4 Actionable Priorities

Looking ahead to 2019: 4 Actionable Priorities

We spent the Spring and Summer listening, learning and working together to define our priorities as a new Board. We participated in listening session in various communities in Philadelphia, we’ve held many action and committee meetings and we’ve visited schools so that we could hear from the community about what they feel is important and…

2018 Reflections: 2 Student Board Representatives

2018 Reflections: 2 Student Board Representatives

For nearly our entire lifetime, students were not directly involved in the governing of the District. However, we, the students spend most of our time in our schools and are directly impacted by decisions of the School Board. That’s why we are so excited and grateful to act as Student Board Representatives and bring student…

2018 Reflections: 9 Dedicated Board Members

2018 Reflections: 9 Dedicated Board Members

9 individuals make up the Board of Education. While we have varying professional backgrounds and interests, the one thing that we have in common is our passion to improve the quality of education for the children of Philadelphia. We have participated in listening sessions, visited schools, and met with parents and community members to learn…

2018 Reflections: Concerns Answered in Real Time

2018 Reflections: Concerns Answered in Real Time

Our committee meetings give us a better opportunity to engage with our constituents who attend the meetings. Often we are able to give speakers more time to share their testimony (without a timer) and we are able to respond to their questions, or connect them to the appropriate District staff. We want to be able…

2018 Reflections: 5 Listening Sessions

2018 Reflections: 5 Listening Sessions

After we were appointed as a new Board of Education one of our first priorities was to get into the community to hear from our constituents. We participated in a five-part listening tour to learn about the education issues that are most important to Philadelphians. It is essential that we know what is being done…

Looking ahead to 2019: A (soon to come) Parent & Community Advisory Council

Looking ahead to 2019: A (soon to come) Parent & Community Advisory Council

We want to better engage with the communities we serve and address key District governance matters. One way that we are working toward this is through our [developing] Parent & Community Advisory Council. We are in the process of selecting 12 individuals who will work together to develop plans that produce real results and encourage…

2018 Reflections: Committee Meetings in the Community

2018 Reflections: Committee Meetings in the Community

In order to live up to its name, the District Partnerships and Community Engagement committee has committed to participating in meetings across all areas of our Philadelphia community. The goal of having meetings in the community is to meet with community partners in various neighborhoods across the school district to learn of partnerships in action…