Velasquez, Hersch named to HUSD Charter School Governance Council

Judy Velasquez, a member, was named Wednesday to the 12-member governance council for the new

"She's the one board member who expressed interest in serving on the governance committee," said Board President Ted Crowell.  Velasquez was not present for the board meeting Wednesday night, but the vote to appoint her to the governance council was unanimous.

Governance council will provide oversight to the new charter school, which begins in August with grades kindergarten through second.

Charter school registration and expression of interest started Wednesday and continues through March 4. Tentative plans call for 88 student spots in four classes: two kindergarten, one first grade and one second grade.

If the number of potential students exceeds the 88 spots, there will be a lottery, said Annie Millar, the district's director of curriculum and instruction.

"We had more than 90 people show up for the information night [on the charter school] last Wednesday," Millar told school board members. "There was standing room only.

"It was a great group," Millar added. "There was a lot of enthusiasm."

Millar said teachers for the four charter school classes are: Vikki Duree and Maria Hadley for kindergarten; Lisa Pillinini for first grade; and Connie Petereit for second grade.

"We still have things to resolve with the design," Millar said. "We are making sure we deliver the grade level content, and we still have to figure out some things with the Spanish language model."

Also named unanimously Wednesday  to the charter school governance council, in addition to Velasquez, was community member Henry Hersch. Hersch applied for one of two community seats on the panel.

The other community seat will likely be filled by a charter school parent who applied for one of the five parent seats on the committee, Millar said.

"We have more parent applicants than there are seats available," Millar said. Five parent governance council members will be chosen Thursday night at the final "Phase II' planning meeting for the charter school, Millar said.

Three administrators will also be named to the panel and two teachers, she added.

"After we have chosen the governance council, we'll develop bylaws and set up subcommittees for parent involvement," she added. "Then, we'll begin building a culture -- an identification and feeling tone.

"This my favorite thing to do -- setting up the core values of the school," Millar said. "It's a real treat to be able to be on the ground floor to establish that."