VOTE on Westchester High School’s Future this week
This week YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Whether your a parent, grandparent, maybe not a parent now but expecting to be one someday or you just care about improving our local high school and you want more representation in the operations of the school by our community.
There is a vote on our high schools governance coming up that hopes to achieve more accountability to you and our community’s future.
Vote for Proposal 3!
VIEW THE FLYER
If you fall into any of the above descriptions then you must come out to vote for Proposal 3, the community representation proposal at Westchester High School. There has been no more important vote on our local schools in the last thirty years and you can make a difference.
For too long, the Westchester/Playa del Rey community has had little say or representation in the operations at Westchester High School. Taxpayer dollars are spent and policies are established without significant input from the people who live in the surrounding community. But that is changing.
The community, parents and teachers have already decided overwhelmingly to join the iDivision and the LMU Family of Schools, gaining new autonomy from LAUSD. Now, on January 22-24, 2009, community members will be asked to vote on the new governance plan at Westchester High School to determine who will make the decisions that impact students every day. Three options will be presented, but Proposal 3 was drafted by the local community and is the only plan that provides true, equal community representation.
For three days beginning on Thursday, January 22 between 1 and 8 PM there will be a governance vote at Westchester High School. Voting will continue on Friday, January 23rd (same hours) and Saturday between 9 AM and 1 PM.
Vote for Proposal 3!
5 teachers • 5 Parents • 5 Community
Proposal 3 offers equal representation for our community on its 15 member board.
5 teachers, 5 parents and 5 community members.
Only Proposal 3 offers equal representation. The two other proposals skew heavily towards UTLA and school staff representation which is no different than what we’ve had in the last 28 years.
ONLY PROPOSAL 3 IS ENDORSED BY:
- Westchester/Playa Neighborhood Council
- LAX Coastal Chamber of Commerce
CREATE EQUAL PARTNERS AMONG ALL STAKEHOLDERS AT W.H.S.
- Teachers know curriculum and pedagogy, and parents know their children. But local stakeholders can bring W.H.S. invaluable experience and knowledge of downtown and local politics, civic and non-profit networks, enterprise finance, technology and electronic communications and more
- Token representation by any group never achieves results
PROPOSAL 3 IS BASED ON THE PACIFIC PALISADES HIGH SCHOOL MODEL
- Since Palisades Charter High School adopted a governing model with equal participation by teachers, parents and the community local students have returned in record numbers, test scores have risen and academic honors have poured in
PROPOSAL 3 IS OUR BEST CHANCE TO IMPROVE W.H.S
- Proposal 1 has already been tried and failed
- Proposal 2 would include only one business representative and one resident on a Governing Board of 17
- Proposal 3 was researched and adopted by the Neighborhood Council of Westchester Playa to bring local students and increased resources to Westchester High School
Every Westchester, Playa Vista, Playa del Rey and Windsor Hills Resident and Employee Can Vote!
- Thursday, January 22, 2009 between 1 – 8 p.m.
- Friday, January 23, 2009 between 1 – 8 p.m.
- Saturday, January 24, 2009 between 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
In the Westchester High School’s Auditorium (front of the school)
7400 W. Manchester Avenue (at Hastings)
Westchester, CA 90045
I was very interested to read about the vote to increase community participation in Westchester High School governance. The attached flyer gave specific information on the proposal and dates for voting. My concern is community awareness of this important measure. I did not receive this flyer except through Westchester Parents News . Was there volunteer mobilization to distribute this information ? Was an effort made to canvas the neighborhood and place the flyer on each door ? Were volunteers stationed at markets to make distribution ? The best way for community involvement on this most important vote is community awareness.
Thank you, Judith John, for articulating questions I also have regarding the WHS January vote. As a Westchester resident on W. 85th St, one block north of WHS, I am surprised a flyer did not land on my front porch – or driveway, for that matter. Had I not picked up this week’s Argonaut I wouldn’t have any awareness of the issue. Given my home’s proximity to WHS, and my growing familiarity with the students who regularly park their cars on W. 85th and Hastings, I certainly would have been interested in participating in the vote on a new governance plan.
We need to take our schools back for our children and for our community. The residents of our neighborhood pay taxes for our children to get an education right here, we should not have to send our kids elsewhere to get the education that they deserve. I think that as a community and as tax paying Americans we all need to stand up and reclaim what is rightfully ours!!!