Message from the Board President

October 1, 2009

Fellow ACO members,

A quick note from your board of directors. Communication, transparency, visibility, credibility, vision, and action are areas this board is dedicated to improving and providing for the ACO. We are working closely with Superintendent McIlvain to facilitate multiple forums for parents to have a voice on important topics and issues affecting the ACS. Future town hall-type meetings, run by the Superintendent, will focus on current issues/concerns as a way of sharing information with the community. The first "Community Forum" occurs this Monday, 5 October at 6:00 pm. Board members will be in attendance as well, so we too will hear what you may want to say.

The current format of the monthly board meetings will change beginning with this month's meeting on the 13th. The meetings are structured into two sessions: open & working. In previous years, four and five hour board meetings were more the norm rather than the exception and for working parents that is unsatisfactory. To better streamline the meetings and continue to meet the needs of the ACO for effective communication, a new format to replace the 10 minute open forum for parents will be introduced. Now, the open session will strictly focus on presenting information, and meeting agendas and minutes will be posted online as well.

In light of this change and in line with existing policies 8-121 & 8-122, the board will present parents the opportunity to privately address the board; however, the following practices will be implemented:

1. Use of the board as a "court of last resort" will require:

that the complaint/grievance has gone through the normal channels starting at the lowest appropriate level;
that the request to address the board come in written form to the board chair (drobinson@acsamman.edu.jo), along with an explanation of the complaint/grievance;
the board deems that the request warrants a board hearing.

2. Requests will not be considered for discussion at a board meeting unless they are included in the agenda by the board chair.

The board's goal this year is to make the meetings more efficient and value-added.

We encourage parents to attend all meetings to stay informed about what is happening and the strategic steps the board is taking to serve the ACO. I look forward to seeing you there!

Sincerely,

Darryl E. Robinson
President, ACS Board of Directors

Message from the Board President

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