Episode Details

Lisa Eskesen:
It's a great way to kind of get a pulse on the school of what's happening there and then also to work together with other parents in representing the community, the student community at that school, and what their needs might be.

Anthony Godfrey:
If you want to join a School Community Council you get to play a part in allocating a portion of that eight million dollars to make sure that it is meeting the highest academic need in a school.

Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They play a vital role in our schools, leading the way, making decisions regarding School LAND Trust money and so much more.

On this episode of the Supercast, find out why parents participate on School Community Councils and how their involvement can elevate the quality of education for students by addressing needs and rallying support.

We're talking today with Lisa Eskesen about School Community Councils. She's been a parent on several and Mike Anderson, our Associate Superintendent, who oversees the work of School Community Councils and submitting information to the state, completing the trainings, all of that. So thank you both for being here.

Lisa Eskesen:
Thank you.

Mike Anderson:
My pleasure.

Anthony Godfrey
Lisa, tell us about your involvement with School Community Councils.

Lisa Eskesen:
I have been involved on School Community Councils–my oldest just graduated from high school this year and so since she was probably in first or second grade I started being on the School Community Council at her elementary school.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you have well over a decade of School Community Council experience.

Lisa Eskesen:
Around there, yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about some of the things that you've been involved in, the schools where you've served, and really for those who may not be familiar what it's been all about from a parent perspective.

Lisa Eskesen:
Okay. So like I said, my oldest just graduated. She went to elementary school at Fox Hollow Elementary and my kids go to Sunset Ridge Middle School. So once we graduated into the middle school, I went there and then at Copper Hills High School I also have served on the community council at that level. My youngest just finished at the elementary so I have consecutively been on that council for a handful of years.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. So you've seen some projects come and go.

Lisa Eskesen:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Part of what you do is you approve funding. Are there some projects that stand out that you've been able to help fund as a School Community Council that you're particularly proud of or were particularly interesting for you?

Lisa Eskesen:
Well pre-COVID when I was on the council at the middle school, one of the things that the principal and the council there really felt strongly about was technology and getting students one-to-one. So we were able to get one-to-one Chromebook use right as COVID hit. So the timing of that, it worked out perfectly. We were able to get the students who needed it their Chromebooks that they definitely used during COVID and online school.

Anthony Godfrey:
They had great timing on that.

Lisa Eskesen:
I know. A lot of thanks goes to Ms. Searle on that one, our principal. She was really pushing for that and saw that need and not even related to COV