Engaging Partners: Introducing Lakota’s New Curriculum Council

Interim Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli presented a proposal to the Board of Education at its Feb. 26 meeting to restructure the current Community Curriculum Advisory Team (CCAT) into a larger Curriculum Council, shifting the ownership of the committee to the superintendent and executive director of curriculum. “The rationale is to make sure that the staff and the community who want to engage in the work of the schools (regarding curriculum) are able to do so,” Lolli told the Board. 

The expanded council would include the original five board-appointed members of CCAT as well as teachers, administrators, parents and students. Meeting each semester, members would be updated about initiatives and decision making that impact Lakota’s curriculum from members of the district’s curriculum and instruction team. 

Lolli shared that the council would include a maximum of 35 people including:

• At least 10 teachers, either volunteers or recruited, representing all grade bands and as many subjects as possible;
• Four secondary students, representing both junior and high schools;
• At least one building administrator from each grade band;
• Representatives from Lakota’s central office including curriculum coordinators or directors, assistant superintendents and two representatives from pupil personnel service; and
• Four current Lakota parents, one from each grade band. 

Lolli made it clear that the number of central office administrators should not dominate the total number of council members. 

During the discussion with the Board, it was further decided that parent representatives not hold an executive position on a parent organization nor be a member of the District Parent Council (DPC). “We rely on the feedback we regularly receive from Lakota’s Presidents’ Council and DPC,” Lolli said. “We want to invite new voices to the table with these four parent seats on the Curriculum Council.”

The original CCAT members committed to serve two years on the board committee. Serving on the new Curriculum Council will fulfill this commitment. While the Board may be asked to suggest people to reach out to in order to fill vacancies on the council, they will not appoint new members.

Finally, Lolli recommended that the new members be split between one and two years of service on the council for the first year. After the first year, all members would commit to serve for 2 full years. This provides stability, as half the members would rotate off each year as new members begin a two year term.