02/19/09
School Board committees take on new structure
The School Board has approved a revised structure for its various subcommittees, appointments and advisory boards.
At their Feb. 10, 2009 meeting, the board approved a restructuring that reclassifies formerly standing committees to advisory board roles. At the same time, the board approved a list of descriptions of standing committees, appointments and advisory assignments.
"We had spent a lot of time discussing our committees, what they are and what their purposes are," said board Chairman Trish Brigham. The discussion culminated in the annual appointment of board members to various subcommittees and advisory boards.
The adopted board structure results in fewer standing boards. The former Personnel Committee is now the Human Resources Committee, and a new Teaching and Learning Committee has been established as a standing committee to help review and evaluate curricular and exta-curricular educational programs.
Brigham, in an e-mail interview, said the charge of the Teaching and Learning Committee is still being refined, but the goal is to "provide leadership and support in areas which are at the heart of education - curriculum, student learning, teachers and teaching," she said.
"The reclassifications of the other committees from standing to advisory was an effort to really focus our efforts on what the School Board is charged with doing rather than spreading ourselves too thin, doing work that technically should be done by school administration or other personnel," Brigham said.
Another change is expansion of the finance committee to include the entire School Board, and a change in the finance committee meeting time from 8 a.m. on the fourth Wednesday in the superintendent's office, to 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of the month, before the board's monthly workshop, at the High School library.
Previous standing committees: communications, strategic planning, student extra-curricular, wellness and positive action committee have been re-classified as advisory boards. "The advisory committees will meet to address specific topics, but not necessarily meet on a monthly basis as our standing committees do," Brigham said. "We will also be assigning the various committees responsibility for working toward achievement of the goals which the School Board set at its (January) retreat."
The restructuring fulfills one of the School Board's goals for 2009, to "review and update, as necessary, its committee structure."
Before approving the restructure, the board agreed with a proposal by member Kathy Ray to reclassify the communications committee as advisory. "In my view, the School Board function is for policies and finance," Ray said. "I think there should be a communications committee, but it should be ovesought by the superintendent or his designee," she said. "I see it as an advisory committee."
Here is a list of committee assignments approved by the board:
:
STANDING COMMITTEES
Finance Committee
[Meets: 4th Tuesday monthly
- 6:30 pm HS Library]
Kathy Ray, Chair
Entire Board
Human Resources Committee
[Meets: 2nd Tuesday monthly
- 8 am in Jordan Conf Room]
Peter Cotter Co-chair
Linda Winker Co-chair
Mary Townsend
Policy Committee
[Meets: monthly on 3rd Tuesday
- 12 pm in Jordan Conf Room]
Rebecca Millett, Chair
Kathy Ray
Linda Winker
Teaching and Learning
[Meets: t/b/d when/where]
Karen Burke, Chair
Linda Winker
Rebecca Millett
Mary Townsend
APPOINTMENTS
Alternative Energy
Kathy Ray
Cape Elizabeth Education Foundation
Karen Burke
Technology
Kathy Ray
Maine School Mgmt Assn Delegate
TBD
Portland Arts and Technology High School
Kathy Ray
Technology
Kathy Ray
ADVISORY COMMITTEES
Communication
Mary Townsend
Rebecca Millett
Extracurricular
Linda Winker
Peter Cotter
Legislative Liaison
Rebecca Millett
Mary Townsend
Positive Action
TBD
Sports Done Right
Karen Burke
Strategic Planning
TBD
Wellness
[Meets: monthly on 1st Monday
– 3:15pm Fire Station]
Karen Burke, Chair
Mary Townsend
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