Magnet Cluster Parent Group (MCPG) Minutes 8/20
The meeting was called to order at 6:30 PM, in the Harris-Hillman cafeteria. The representatives attending were:
Dena Cheatham, Laura Daugherty, Ruth Stewart, Elizabeth Knox, Vivian Hardcastle, Sabrina Bagwell, Gillian Kotun, Alan Coverstone, Regine McClain, Bobby Reed, Habeeb Kotun, Doris Wooten, Stephanie Richey, and Robert Harrar
Introductions were made, and the MCPG was explained as a way for parents in the Magnet schools to get together to discuss common problems and hopefully solve them.
Two schools have not sent contact information to the MCPG, and Alan Coverstone will contact John Early and Laura Daugherty will contact Pearl-Cohn Business Magnet.
Meeting sites will be rotated; representatives are asked to find out which date(s) are good for their principal.
Reports on first week of school:
Rose Park: Cleared the waiting list, over 300 enrolled, SSA going well. Great week MLK: SSA working, positive week Hume-Fogg: 880 students max. Enrollment! A/C very spotty. Creswell: Good week, slight SSA problems East Literature: Good week on the whole, but overcrowding and bad traffic Head: very positive orientation, good week Jones: Phone Tree appreciated, heavy traffic Carter-Lawrence: over-heated, otherwise good NSA: great first week, slight air problems, SSA going well Meigs: Classes are full, SSA going well
Hull-Jackson: already had uniforms, new principal great!
PAC overview: Elizabeth Knox and Alan Coverstone reported that many of the failing schools in metro are missing just one or two components of NCLB. The clusters have been combined into groups; the PAC minutes will have more detail. Dr. Garcia has emphasized that the school principals need to communicate to parents. Sadly, the only High School that can accept transfers from problem schools is East Lit., we will have to wait to see how East is affected by this.,
Discussion: Should we expand the MCPG to include Choice and design centers? There are pros and cons to this. Pros: we might eliminate our elitist image, we would gain more allies to help with problems, and we could build bridges. Cons: Our group could be diluted; no other school would want to join because they are already active in their zoned cluster.
We should also consider changing our name, an example given is: “Choice School Cluster Group”. Representatives are to think about these issues.
The Top 5 Issues: 1) Thematic or program authenticity, 2) Deferred maintenance, 3) Transportation, 4) No support from the administration, 5) resource equity with the comprehensive schools. The same amount of dollars should be spent on our schools as the comprehensive schools
Please think of more issues!
New PAC Reps: Elementary: Alan Coverstone, Dena Cheatham Middle: Habeeb Kotun, David Kern High:
Laura Daugherty, Stephanie Richey (Elizabeth Knox is on the PAC as Secretary)
Items to follow up: Find out when the MCPG can meet at your school, Think about new names for the MCPG, think about whether or not we should expand our group, Think of issues that are important to the MCPG!
Next Meeting: Monday, September 10 from 6:30 -8:00PM at Martin Luther King Magnet School, 613 17th Ave N! |
