WCEA Vital Growth Areas Workshop

All Faculty/Staff WCEA Meeting - Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Below is a summary of the growth areas identified by the WCEA Integral Groups. After the presentations in the Theater, we are asking you to do two things:

1. Using this link, rank the growth areas by importance to the school by clicking and dragging items so that the area that you feel is the highest priority for improvement is listed first. This step is required by all full-time employees of De La Salle per the accreditation protocol.

2. Using this link, submit comments, questions, suggestions, and edits to the WCEA Integral Group chairs so that they can complete the full vital growth plan, if their area is chosen. This step is optional.

Integral Group A – Catholic Identity

Chair/Presenter: Andrew Berkes

Standard A5 - Partnership with Parents

The school maintains an active partnership with parents whose fundamental concern is the spiritual and academic education of their children.

Area for Critical Growth

Develop a program to promote parents’ awareness and understanding of De La Salle High School’s Lasallian Catholic mission and identity.

Goal of the Action Plan

Increase the opportunities for parents to become more religiously literate and informed about the Lasallian heritage and Catholic identity of our school in order for them to better partner with us in forming men of faith, Les hommes de foi.

Rationale for the Action Plan

While there are a few opportunities for parents to participate in select faith formation activities, such as retreats, De La Salle High School should make a greater effort to actively engage parents in the spiritual life of the school (DL A18-19). In addition to encouraging parent participation in existing campus programs, De La Salle High School ought to consider actively engaging parents and families to become more religiously literate to better understand the richness of the Catholic faith and Lasallian tradition.

For Consideration

It may be possible to broaden this goal and rationale beyond the current focus on the Catholic faith and Lasallian tradition. If it were broadened, what should be considered?

Integral Group B – School Organization

Chair/Presenter: Leo Lopoz and Scott Hirsch

Standard B2 - Administration

The school administration provides quality leadership for the personnel and the operations by which the religious and educational objectives of the school are realized.

Area for Critical Growth

Evaluate and optimize the school’s administrative structure.

Goal of the Action Plan

Evaluate if the school’s current leadership model is effective in helping the school achieve its mission and ISOs and make adjustments to the administrative model as needed based on data from the evaluation process.

Rationale for the Action Plan

In 2016, then President Mark DeMarco ‘78 concluded that a distributed model of leadership was needed. Similar to a collegiate model, the President, as Chief Executive Officer, would be served by a Cabinet of divisional leaders who would oversee academics, athletics, advancement, finance, mission, and be further supported by a Chief of Staff for the Office of the President (who is also the Dean of Students). However, the original and current leadership structure and organizational chart includes unfilled positions, understaffed areas by comparison to peer institutions and relative to the published job duties and, to date the model has not been systematically evaluated towards the aim of effective and efficient leadership for the school.

Standard B5 - Organizational Structure

The organizational structure of the school—its offices, departments, schedules, modes of communication, and deployment of personnel—and the operations pertinent to this structure are optimum for realization of the religious and educational objectives of the school.

Area for Critical Growth

Evaluate and optimize school schedule (calendar and bell) for student learning and achieving the school’s ISOs.

Goal of the Action Plan

Evaluate the school calendar and Bell Schedule implemented since the pandemic began and make adjustments as needed to optimize student learning, growth, and engagement as well as accommodate important school non-curricular activities (e.g. liturgies, rallies, faculty meetings, etc.).

Rationale for the Action Plan

De La Salle HS and Carondelet High School have periodically convened a Joint Time Use Committee in order to understand the instructional, co-curricular, student life, and faculty/staff meeting needs at both schools and suggest changes to the shared school calendar and bell schedule to optimize time use to best meet these needs. The last Joint Time Use Committee was operational during the 2014-2015 school year. Since then, the onset of the fall fire season in Northern California and the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly altered school calendars and bell schedules. As the school moves forward through the pandemic, it is important to undertake a systematic data collection and evaluation process that includes stakeholder surveys and conversations between the two schools, as is possible.

For Consideration

This area has considerable overlap with the proposed Vital Growth Area from Integral Group C. It may be possible to combine the two areas. What should be taken into consideration if the areas were combined into a single Vital Growth Area?

Integral Group C – Teaching & Learning

Chair/Presenter: Spencer Shively, Lisa Sciacca, and Corey Kelly

Standard C1 - What Students Learn

The school provides a challenging, coherent, and relevant curriculum for students toward students’ accomplishment of all the educational outcomes that the school sets for them.

Area for Critical Growth

Distinctive programming/scheduling/student choice: begin the process of scheduling all academic classes across a seven period day.

Goal of the Action Plan

Map out a process to schedule classes across seven periods and identify areas of curricular need to increase student academic choice.

Rationale for the Action Plan

Students are limited in academic choice due to the scheduling of most academic courses over six periods instead of over seven periods; given student desire for academic choice and our teachers’ strengths in creating rich and engaging curriculum that helps students become 21st century learners, we need to schedule across a seven period day to enable student academic choice and the expansion of our curricular offerings. In addition, most colleges significantly consider scope and rigor of student academic course selection (equally, if not more important, to GPA) in college acceptance. In other words, more academic choices over more periods will allow students to be able to take more A-G approved classes, including college preparatory electives. While all students are currently limited in academic choice, the scheduling will also make possible additional study halls, activity classes, etc. for students who are best served by not taking seven academic periods.

For Consideration

This area has considerable overlap with the proposed Vital Growth Area from Integral Group B. It may be possible to combine the two areas. What should be taken into consideration if the areas were combined into a single Vital Growth Area?

Integral Group D – Student Support

Chair/Presenter: Mike Aquino and Scott Drain

Standard D1 - School Environment

The school provides an environment that is physically, spiritually, and academically safe for all students.

Area for Critical Growth

Create an updated and comprehensive Campus Safety Plan

Goal of the Action Plan

Obtain outside consultation and update existing safety and emergency procedures, policies, and staffing that are responsive to current conditions, taking into account CHS and DLS students present during both school and non-school hours, and are understandable, accessible, and actionable for all faculty/staff.

Rationale for Action Plan

The school has developed comprehensive and detailed policies to keep students and adults safe and able to respond to a variety of emergency situations. However, the upkeep, updating and revision of the policies for all faculty and staff to easily access and enact these plans is in continual need of upkeep. While the school is equipped with AED and Epi Pens for emergency situations, many are in secure locations where most faculty/staff do not have key access. (Standard D1) While emergency simulations are practiced annually, many faculty/staff are unsure of the procedures with the presence of a large number of CHS students, after school hours, or during non-standard times. (Standard D4, D5) Our recent bell schedule changes, with additional students learning in hybrid environments, many students now done with class daily at 1:20pm, and faculty with new teaching schedules, have highlighted the need for increased during and after-school supervision. Many of the emergency procedures involve communication with/presence of the Deans. Given that De La Salle is a hub of activity for students, including nights and weekends where a Dean may not be present, De La Salle needs to develop an updated and comprehensive model of campus supervision and safety.

Standard D2 - Academic Support & Standard D4 - College Matriculation

The school provides academic support services sufficient to meet the learning needs of all students. The school provides support services that assist with the college matriculation of students.

Area for Critical Growth

Expand Student Support offerings to address the growing needs of students

Goal of the Action Plan

• Expand the number of College Counselors (from 2-3 full-time) to address the full breadth of our students' and parents’ needs and future aspirations

• Increase Learning Center capacity and support services based on growing and identified needs of the students.

Rationale for Action Plan

De La Salle’s two Co-Directors of College Counseling have added a mandatory College Advisory Program for all seniors linked to the seventh period in the past years. This program supports seniors in every step of the college application process. In addition, several College Advisory sessions for juniors and sophomores are also provided, as well as workshops on college recruiting for student-athletes. De La Salle continues to have a strong college matriculation rate (98%) as the landscape for accessing higher education has become more complicated and competitive. As a Lasallian school, special attention is given to those students who are first-generation college-bound and their parents. The College Counselors develop and provide several college nights throughout the year and daytime workshops, along with organizing and hosting 150 college rep visits. The need for additional staff in College Counseling will allow the program to meet parent and student expectations for individualized support and assisting students in navigating the financial aspects of attending college, as well as supporting those who seek post-high school options in the vocational or service areas. (Standard D14)

Though only being open for four years, the Learning Center has outgrown its space, often operating at capacity and extending its hours in order to meet the needs of the students. 10-15 paid and volunteer tutors work in the Center each day. Two extra classrooms are already being utilized for Study Halls and make-up testing after school. The number of students with diagnosed learning differences increases every year, and more students are identified that would benefit from extended educational testing. (Standard D14, D 15, D18) Our Bishop Cummins program continues to expand as well, necessitating the search for a larger space on campus. While teachers continue to offer accommodations and support for students with varied learning needs, it is apparent that more teacher support in the form of additional professional development and personnel would benefit this increased need.

For Consideration

This area has considerable overlap with the proposed Vital Growth Area from Integral Group B regarding Organizational Structure. It may be possible to address staffing and resource needs under that Vital Growth Area.

Integral Group E – Material Stewardship

Chair/Presenter: Lynne Jones and Mark Chiarucci

Standard E3 - Plant Resources

The school plant - facilities, buildings and grounds - is of such size and quality as to constitute a fit house for the school's essential operations.

Area for Critical Growth

Upgrade older facilities which have become a combination of program-limiting, energy inefficient, unsafe, unusable, unattractive, and not up to De La Salle standards.

Goal of the Action Plan

Upgrade the older buildings and athletics fields to current standards of program functionality, energy efficiency, water conservation, technology requirements, safety, and attractiveness. The buildings and fields that should be top priorities include the 100 and 200 classroom wings, the Theatre, the baseball field and practice field, and the Brothers' Residence and Chapel. A Facility Master Plan should be created to help prioritize the renovations and determine scope and sequence.

Rationale for the Action Plan

The buildings and facilities that have been built or renovated in this century are modern and attractive, but the older buildings with mostly original 1965 construction are not serving us well. The Theatre was intended to be rebuilt in the 50th Anniversary Campaign, but funding was not adequate. The Theatre suffers from inadequate space on stage, in dressing rooms, for teacher desks, for ADA access, etc., and has a long list of other needed improvements. The older classrooms in the 100 and 200 wings have old windows, lights, ceilings, HVAC systems, and too few electrical outlets. The baseball field and practice fields should be rebuilt with artificial turf to save water, provide a safer playing surface, and cut down on maintenance. The Brothers' Residence, closed by the District, is original 1965 construction of 16,000 square feet, is very energy inefficient, and is unsuitable for any other use in its current form. The Chapel is too small for most uses and is energy inefficient. Executive Limitation 10 requires that facilities be maintained in a safe, functional, and aesthetically pleasing manner. De La Salle is a vibrant, extremely busy, packed campus with no room to waste, and while the newer facilities serve the school well, both in functionally and aesthetics, those mentioned above have fallen below acceptable standards and do not serve us well.

Standard E5 - Business Operations

The school's business operations - budgeting, accounting, etc. - are well developed in their planning, implementation, reporting, oversight, and review.

Area for Critical Growth

Faculty and Staff compensation should be studied and adjusted as necessary to ensure that salary and benefits are sufficient to attract and retain quality faculty and staff. While fair and just employee compensation has always been an institutional priority, it needs to be elevated to the top fiscal priority now, in order to make needed changes to the KSBP faculty salary scale and other benefits, including tuition remission reciprocity with CHS, as deemed prudent.

Goal of the Action Plan

Employee compensation has long been a school priority, and the goal now is to make it the Number One fiscal priority so that we can reach and maintain the 75th percentile of salaries among educators, while balancing financial sustainability, tuition affordability, and proper fiscal planning to meet Mission, Ends Policies, Executive Limitations, and best practices.

Rationale for the Action Plan

A competitive compensation plan will enable De La Salle the ability to attract and retain teachers, administrators, and staff which will better serve our student population. The Board's Executive Limitations require that we create levels of pay sufficient to attract and retain quality faculty and staff, taking in to account the compensation programs of our Bay Area public and private peer schools.