| The
governance and management of the Hilltown Cooperative Charter
School are arranged into realms of responsibility, called "Domains".
All of these groups work together - seeking input and participation
from each other in most decision-making processes. Rather than
having a "Principal", the school employs three Coordinators,
who share an office and work together to ensure that the school
is viable and stays true to its mission.
The Education Domain is responsible for the
educational program at Hilltown and includes the work of the
teachers, teaching assistants and the Educational Coordinator
who supervises and develops all aspects of this domain including
coordinating the hiring committees for teaching positions.
Dan Klatz is the current Education Coordinator.
The Administrative Domain covers the day
to day operation at school. The Administrative Coordinator
manages the facility, admissions procedures and school finances
and hires and coordinates office staff, the school nurse,
custodial staff and the bookkeeper. The Administrative Assistant
is responsible for staffing the office and answering the phone,
and coordinates the day to day procedures in the school office.
Amy Aaron is the current Administrative Coordinator, Monique
Bourgeois is the current Administrative Assistant.
The Community Domain is responsible for ensuring
full community participation in the school's functioning and
governance and for maintaining both the "sense of community"
within the school and a school connection with the local community.
The Community Coordinator administers this domain, coordinating
Community Service Learning for the students, developing systems
to serve and include parents and other volunteers, facilitating
meetings of the Cooperative and coordinating the school's
event and fundraising calendar. The Parent Representatives
to the Management Team work with the Community Coordinator
to ensure that parent voices are heard in decision-making
processes. Deirdre Arthen is the current Community Coordinator.
The Board of Trustees is responsible for
the school's overarching philosophies, direction and policies
and is accountable for all legal and fiscal issues affecting
the Hilltown School. It operates using a consensus model and
makes decisions on the hiring of Domain Coordinators, and
contractual relationships. Voting members of the Hilltown
Cooperative Charter School elect the Trustees at their annual
meeting held each May. Trustees serve a three-year term and
do not need to be parents at the school. The school's three
coordinators attend Board meetings as speaking but non-decision-making
members. Schedules of BOT meetings, agendas, and minutes are
available for parents to review on the bulletin board in the
All-School Space. All BOT meetings are open to the school
community and the general public. Peter Feitner, a parent,
is the current President of the Board of Trustees
The Management Team is composed of two representatives
of the teaching staff, the Administrative Coordinator, Education
Coordinator, Community Coordinator, two Parent Representatives
and a member of the Board of Trustees. It is responsible for
coordinating school events and discussing issues that cross
Domain boundaries and affect home and school life together.
Parent Reps to the Management Team have mailboxes where they
receive communication from parents and also host weekly "Rep
Raps" , a drop-in time when parents can come and discuss
any topics of interest or concern. Marcia LaRoque is the current
Parent Rep to Management Team. Laurel Loomis and Peter Kennedy
are the current teacher Reps.
Domain Council is made up of the three staff
coordinators and the president of the Board of Trustees. It
is responsible for proposing the annual budget and making
policy recommendations to the Board.
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