Healdsburg Charter School forms governing council

The new Healdsburg Charter School is still in need of one more
community member to serve on their Charter Governing Council.
The council will be comprised of five parents, two community
members, two teachers and several administrators from the district
who will assist in the development and implementation of the
charter.
The council is looking for “someone who wants to participate at
a high level, who can commit the time, who is willing be part of
the newly-founded HCS community, who wants to take on a leadership
role in helping develop this exciting new educational program and
who shares the vision,” said Annie Millar, Healdsburg Unified
School District Director of Curriculum.
Representatives of the council will oversee school policy,
professional development, policies and procedures, curriculum and
the spirit of the charter schools’ goals and vision. The council
will meet once a month to discuss the charter school progress.
“The ultimate goal, I think, is to transform the nature of the
school system over time,” said Henry Hersch who was the first
community member chosen for the council. Hersch also is on the
board of directors for the Healdsburg Education Foundation and has
experience collaborating with the school district as well as other
non-profits.
Community members interested in applying must write a 250 word
letter to the Healdsburg Unified School District Board of Trustees
by March 8 explaining why they are interested in serving on the
governing council and what qualifications they bring to the
group.
Since the approval of the charter school last month, district
officials have been working on the project-based learning
curriculum and have recently opened the doors for enrollment. The
first year of classes will begin in August and serve grades
K-2.
The first window for enrollment will be open until March 4.
Parents are required to attend an orientation meeting with
Principal Stephanie Feith along with signing the HCS Compact that
outlines their responsibilities and commitment to the school if
their child attends. A lottery will be held if the enrollment
interest exceeds the 88 slots available at the charter school.
“Parents will be notified by March 18 as to their application
for enrollment,” Hersch said.
The project-based learning curriculum at the charter school will
provide research skills and active learning projects for students
in groups and individually to “focus on a complex question or
problem and address it through a collaborative process,” states the
charter school outline.
Currently the district has seen a strong interest in enrollment
with crowds of parents attending the informational meetings held
over the first week of February.
For parents that were unable to attend a meeting, the
information about the charter and how to enroll is listed on the
districts’ Web site, www.husd.com.
Staff Writer Robin Hug can be reached at

ro***@hb*****.com











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