East Mecklenburg High School - School Leadership Team Meeting

March 13, 2017 – Media Center 6pm

X= Present/ (P) = Parent/ (T)= Teacher/ (C) = Counselor/ (PTSO)= PTSO Representative

X / Cassandra Nathan (P),
Co Chair / X / Victoria Payne (P),
Chair / X / Maureen Walsh Koricke (P),
X / Elaine Claiborne (P)
Secretary / Billie Little (Assist Principal) / Rick Parker (Principal)
X / Erica Gipson (P) / X / Tim Moore (P)
Audrey Dorante (T) / Elizabeth McGraw (C) / Barry Woolsey (T)
X / Anna Ruth (PTSO) / Anastasia Chavez (T) / X / Christine Opela (P)
Meghan Manges (P)

Call to order6:00 pm

  1. Meeting was called to order.
  2. Minutes from February, 2017 were approved

OLD ITEMS

1.IB Diploma status (Ms. Nathan)

  • Agreed we need more quantitative data on:
  • How are IB diplomarate compares to other CMS schools
  • Why students are not receiving IB diplomas
  • Suggestions on ways SLT can help – action items
  • Mr. Parker will request this information

2.Next Year Enrollment/IB Staffing (Mr. Parker)

  • 1052 students enrolled in IB next year with 70 on the wait list (currently 890, prior year was 839). Myers Park is projected to have 870).
  • 1998 enrollment projected next year –current enrollment is 1905 with the following socio-economic breakdown 1166 – low, 413 - median, 326 – high. The socio-economic breakdown and school diversity are not expected to change significantly for East under the new plan.
  • Current allocation of IB teachers is 2 IB teachers and 1 coordinator. Mr. Parker is advocating for changes that would increase our allocation of IB teachers. Currently schools receive the same allocation regardless of the number of IB students
  • Currently Mr. Parkers has to give up other teachers to get IB staffing
  • Would like additional French, Spanish & Fine Art staffing

ACTION ITEM

The SLT board will send a letter to School Board lobbying for IB allocation to increase as the number of IB students increase. Mr. Parker is working with the Central Learning Community Superintendent (Tara Lynn Sullivan). He suggested we address the letter to her.

Specifics should include:

  • More teachers tagged as IB
  • Additional IB coordinator
  • Shouldn’t have to give up other positions to increase IB teacher allocations

Tim Moore was volunteered to draft the letter for other SLT members to sign.

  1. 2016-17 School Improvement Plan (Mr. Parker)
  2. Suspensions are down
  3. Projected graduation rate is 90.7 (goal is 92%). 365 in cohort kids making up non-graduations are as follows:
  4. 12 EC kids (3.3%)
  5. 15 dropouts (4.2%).
  6. 6 behind track (1.7%)
  7. When we compare ourselves to other schools we need to remember that they don’t have the EC population, without this group we would be at 94% graduation rate. We celebrate and affirm these students and would not them excluded from the East population. Mr. Parker just wanted to point out that the graduation rate doesn’t reflect everything that goes on.
  8. Dropout rate of 15 is an improvement prior years has been 20-23. Improvement is attributed to:
  9. Catching potential dropout in 9th/10th grade and keeping them motivated.
  10. Using Edgenuity program and NCVPS to help students catch up
  11. Encouraging ESL students to be put in appropriate grade
  12. Technology – working on getting chrome books to 300 students next year and adding hot spots
  1. SLT Training (Ms. Payne)
  2. No response to the email she sent requesting training.
  3. Taken off of agenda

ACTION ITEM

Encourage SLT members to attend training next year. Make sure training is discussed and dates made available at the first few meetings

  1. Safety Plan Meeting (Ms. Payne)
  • Meeting scheduled for 2nd Monday in August (08/14) to discuss safety plan
  1. Phase II Assignment
  2. Surveys completed and turned in
  3. Currently no impact on East for 2018/19 school year
  4. Potential gain in medium/higher socio-economic status

New Items

  1. Naming of New Building after Former Principal (Mr. Parker)
  2. Proposal received from Mr. Graham a former East Meck student to name new building after former principal D. K. Pittman – proposal was sent to the Foundation, but the Foundation’s purpose is to raise funds.
  3. Other schools have done this – Myers Park – Gus Purcell Stadium
  4. Process – Board members agree and then send to Superintendent for approval
  5. Ms. Payne – proposed we needed to learn more about Mr. Pittman and ensure there was not any controversy surrounding him.
  6. Ms. Koricke – proposed we research historic significance

ACTION ITEM

Mr. Parker to reach out to sponsor (Mr. Graham) for more information

Updates

  • East Meck named as school of excellence
  • Culinary school winning competitions
  • New building should be complete November 2017 and classes moved in there after winter break
  • Carl Ripken grant approved - $400k turf – where the current softball fields are located – multipurpose fields to be used for multiple sports. Now that grant is approved we have one year to fundraise. Hoping to get up to $700k

Meeting Adjourned at 7:15

Next meeting – May 8th – this will be the final meeting of the 2016/17 school year

Respectfully submitted by Elaine Claiborne