PARENTS AS PARTNERS

From formal, 501(c)(3) organizations to the occasional volunteer, Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) students, teachers, staff and schools are the beneficiaries of many good deeds by the community. Some offer their assistance at their student’s school because they know the help is needed in the classroom, in the garden, or on a field trip, for instance; others offer financial assistance in the form of campaigns to raise funds for school programs and needs that state funding formulas do not take into account. Whatever the inspiration, SUSD is grateful for and appreciates all of the work to support the world-class, future-focused learning offered to all SUSD students!

Scottsdale Parent Council

The Scottsdale Parent Council, or SPC, has existed in one form or another since 1977, bringing parents together from throughout the community to discuss matters of common interest with district leaders. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan Arizona corporation. It has been referred to as sort of a “Super PTO,” or parent-teacher organization. Principals are asked each school year to name two parents from their schools to serve on the SPC. With representation spread across all five of the district’s learning communities, the collaboration benefits all SUSD students.

The SPC is open to all parents who wish to learn about district programs, provide information about their experiences, and serve on committees that look at SUSD programs and practices in more depth.

At SPC monthly meetings, SUSD parents hear from and ask questions of the SUSD superintendent and members of his leadership team. Meeting topics so far this year have included special presentations on how the district is funded, the work of the Support Services office and school-based community specialists who assist students and families, the teacher National Board Certification process, the SUSD Governing Board, and the Scottsdale Police Department’s School Resource Officer (SRO) and Crisis K-9 programs.

The April SPC meeting will cover the district’s technology resources. SPC’s Special Education Committee has hosted meetings this school year covering Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and 504 Plans.

The group’s mission, says SPC President Kimberlee McClure, is to bring people together. “For parents, I think the value of SPC is access – to district administration, to information, and to other parents.” Likewise, SPC provides valuable parent perspectives to SUSD leaders.

“SUSD is a big district: on a map, it’s oddly shaped, and it’s about a 30-minute drive lengthwise and crosswise at the widest points,” McClure observes. “Collaboration happens spontaneously when people have a shared goal and want the best for our students.”

School-based Organizations

From the broad, district-wide perspective down to more local interests, SUSD parents have many opportunities to support their students at the school level.

State law requires that each school establish a site council for the purpose of sharing in school decisions. Principals