GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - Every spring, a series of three to four parent meetings is held for the purpose of reviewing and/or revising the school district’s Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), the big picture plan for where funding is going and what the district’s priorities are.

If that sounds a little dull and hard to digest, well, it can be. But it doesn’t have to be, and Gridley Unified is eager for more parents to be involved and vocal in the workings of local schools.

This year’s meetings have pulled in very few parents. At the April 17 meeting there were only two, to represent a student body of 1,990. This meeting obviously doesn’t capture the full range of parent involvement, and many parents do participate in school programming and events, and either board, PTA, or site meetings within each school.

Why go to another meeting? You may ask. With one meeting left, planned for May 15, 2024, the opportunity for meaningful impact on this year’s LCAP is limited, however, Michael Pilakowski is hoping to help a broader vision take hold in the Gridley and surrounding community.

Pilakowski is the director of curriculum and technology for Gridley Unified School District. He organizes and oversees Parent Council meetings, and he represents GUSD in pursuing more meaningful parent engagement.

School board meetings, which happen twice monthly, are busy and informative meetings, providing a snapshot of what is happening within the district at a given time, however the opportunity for discussion and community input or questions is minimal. While parents and/or community members are welcomed to make comments and ask questions, formal response is generally not made at the time of the question, but saved for another meeting if it is brought up again at all.

Site councils convene at least monthly to review and revise plans for each school site. Ideally, these meetings can be used to raise questions or address concerns, but the focus is on review of academic progress and completion of established site plans.

Parent Council provides a platform for back-and-forth discussion with site and district officials. In addition to Mr. Pilakowski, Ms. Treat and Dr. Schumann, principals of McKinley and Wilson schools, respectively, were in attendance at the April 17 meeting. If you haven’t met your child’s principal, or you want to get to know district officials, or you have questions about how to get the school’s attendance calendar adjusted, these meetings have the potential to be valuable to you.

Pilakowski’s vision for what Parent Council can be involves a monthly, well-attended meeting where parents discuss what they are seeing, what is working, and what needs adjustment within school and community realities. The LCAP is only one piece of the picture; concerns about bussing, afterschool program supervision, specific teachers or curriculum, special education services, facilities, sports, or anything else could be addressed and action plans generated in this setting.

With Pilakowski as a district liaison and school principals available for engaged discussion, we have the potential to shape programs and shrink the gaps that exist between parents, teachers, and students. Current data in Gridley schools suggests that student engagement and sense of belonging is going down every year — will you come and be involved in finding solutions?

Those interested may come to the GUSD District office on May 15, at 5:30 p.m. Feedback, questions, or concerns are welcomed by the district and can be directed to [email protected]