This new Decatur edTV video shows charter school consultant Debbie Pipin laying down some ground rules for the  CSD Leadership Teams.  Even in the after videos, you can tell that some of the participants (both parents and educators) have that “what have I gotten myself into?” look on their face.   Good stuff.   Thanks Andrea!

According to Pipin, some of the big no-no’s for team members are engaging in “parking lot meetings” after-hours and speaking out against a vote after it has passed.  Also, teachers on teams need to be cognizant that if they are seen talking alone at school, it could be seen as discussing issues outside of meetings.

Actually this blog is like a giant, virtual parking lot meeting where everyone wears paper bags on their heads.

Oooh…catchy, new blog title.

The CSD has posted a list of the parents that have been elected to its brand spankin’ new Leadership Teams, which will lead our city schools forward under the new charter designation.

Clairemont – Anita Corbett, Andrew Lewis, Robert Pope, Allison Taylor

Oakhurst – Jonathan Hull, Mary Stoops, Anthony Whatley

Winnona Park – Paul Ferraro, Aaron Hillegass, Kim Rossi, Eve Wyatt

Glennwood – John Garrison, Gabriel Ramirez , Karen Simmons

Renfroe Middle – Peg Bumgardner, Laura Fehrs, Lexie Parker

Decatur High – David Hughes, Lew Lefton, Susan Strickland

I guess we can assume that Clairemont and Winnona Park will have larger Leadership Teams, since they have elected four parents instead of three.

And according to a comment by Winnona Park principal Greg Wiseman in a previous post, the full teams still need to appoint a final member from the community to give parents the majority.

Over at Decatur eLife, Andrea Berry has again put together another great video update on Decatur’s charter school process, interviewing potential parent and teacher candidates for the Leadership Boards at the recent candidate forums.

Berry reports in the video that parents will vote for their candidates this week and that election results will be posted online September 9th.

Apparently, DHS’ principal has started a blog called Bloggin’ Bulldog. In her fourth post, Principal Lauri McKain-Fernandez announces the parents who are running to be on the school’s new leadership team this coming year.

They are….Michelle Hammond-Susten, Monica McGannon Handman, GG Howard, David Hughes, Mara Knight, Lew Lefton, Jim Nettles, Elisha Silvera, Rachelle Spell, Lisa Stone, Susan Strickland, Eric Tumperi and Francis Wechsler.

I’m unsure of the total number of parents chosen for team, because this FAQ states that the teams consist of between 7-11 people, which includes the principal and 2 teachers. So anywhere between 4-8? Also, I’m unsure how candidates are ultimately chosen.

The candidates will be asked a series of questions at a candidates forum tonight at 7pm in the DHS Media Center.

h/t: InDecatur

UPDATE: The extension wasn’t due to a lack of candidates.  Winnona Park’s principal was good enough to fill us in.  See comments below.

So remember that whole charter school system thing we did a few weeks back? Yeah well…apparently they don’t have enough parent volunteers to be on the vitally important “leadership teams”, because they’ve extended the deadline until tomorrow, according to the AJC.

Yeah I know, not much notice…but I didn’t post it…it was the AJC. Also, since each school is supposed to have its own leadership team, which are we talking about here?

These teams aren’t just advisory groups…they are key component of the charter school idea. So the fact that they have to extend the deadline is a bit worrisome. The AJC article says check out the school system’s website for details…but I’m not going to link you over there because unless they mean for you to go ahead and flip thru the massive charter school application for a description of the leadership teams, I don’t see any easily accessible information.

So instead I suggest jumping over to this great leadership team FAQ (pdf) on the Decatur edTV website and watching this video from Decatur edTV if you are interested in joining any of our schools’ parent leadership teams.