(Editor’s note: Current Palisades High School Board of Trustee member Reeve Chudd sent the following letter to Circling the News on April 7.)
I’m writing to you with a request that perhaps you’ll find space in CTN to invite parents of Palisades High School children to run for election to the PCHS Board of Trustees. In light of our current closure of the campus, we’ve extended the deadline for submitting applications for running for the position.
In particular, parents of current freshmen and sophomores are eligible to run (it’s a 2-year term, and so you must be a PCHS parent for your entire term). While the time commitment is by no means insignificant, I find that there is no greater way for a parent to participate in the education of their high school children.
As you might imagine, the Board is by no means a “rubber stamp” for the decisions of the administration. Its independent decisions regarding finances, personnel, information flow and school contracts are deeply involved with the day-to-day operation of our wonderful school. Further, the Board must meet and take action in extraordinary situations, as we are currently experiencing.
Yesterday, we had our first “virtual” Board meeting via the Zoom platform, and so while our children are e-learning, the Board is “e-deciding”.
If anyone is interested, they can go to the PCHS website, www.palihigh.org, click on “Governance” at the top of the main site page and at the bottom of the resulting page they will be able to download the Board election application.
In light of our sequestration, we’ve extended the application process to accommodate parents seeking this position. The Governance site also has a list of our current Board members and their e-mail addresses, in case any interested parents have questions about serving on the Board and wishes to contact a Board member they know; however, the Election Committee members of the Board are Paula Anderson and I.
Reeve E. Chudd
PCHS Board of Trustees