Governance
Santa Barbara Charter School Governance
The Circle of Trustees (CoT) is responsible for setting the overarching policies that guide the ongoing activities of the School. The Director of Operations and Director of Education are responsible for the day-to-day administrative decisions necessary for running the School. While the CoT creates the guidelines and makes the final decisions related to fiscal, legal, and personnel issues, the Director of Education and Director of Operations implement those policies on a daily basis. Both the Director of Operations and Director of Education are empowered to make line item budget decisions regarding the budget up to a limit specified by the Circle of Trustees. While approval of the CoT is required to start a personnel search, the Director of Operations and Director of Education are responsible for implementing the hiring processes within their areas of jurisdiction. Both administrators are responsible for the supervision and evaluation of employees within their jurisdiction. All final personnel decisions must be approved by the Circle of Trustees.
Directory of downloadable documents
CIRCLE OF TRUSTEES
Board of Directors
The SBCS Circle of Trustees (CoT) serves as the Board of Directors for Santa Barbara Charter School. The CoT is the responsible agent for fulfilling accountability requirements set forth in this Charter, California Charter School legislation, the Memorandum of Understanding, and any other binding legal agreements. The Circle of Trustees is ultimately responsible for decisions that ensure the School’s viability and particularly focuses on financial, legal, and personnel issues.
Composition
The Circle of Trustees is comprised of four Classroom-based parents, one HomeBased Partnership (HBP) parent, two Classroom-based teachers, one HBP teacher, and the Director of Operations. Classroom-based parents are elected to a two-year term on the Circle of Trustees by a program-wide vote of the Classroom-Based program, and the HomeBased parent is elected by a program-wide vote of the HomeBased Partnership, according to the provisions of Elections policy (#012). Teachers are appointed to the Circle of Trustees for a term of at least one year. Classroom-based teacher representatives are appointed to the Circle of Trustees by the Teachers Council, and the HomeBased teacher representative is appointed by the HomeBased teachers. If there is a mid-term resignation by a parent trustee, CoT may appoint a trustee in his/her place.
Officers
The officers of the CoT are President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The Director of Operations serves as the facilitator or chairperson of the Circle of Trustees.
PARENT ALLIANCE
Defined
The Parent Alliance is a committee of the Circle of Trustees. The Parent Alliance actively fosters a spirit of cooperation and a sense of support, pride, and enthusiasm in order to nurture community within the school. The school community includes the relationships between students, teachers and other staff, and parents and/or legal guardians, extended families, and patrons, all of whom play an essential role in the success of our children, both today and in the future. All parents of currently enrolled students are a member of the Parent Alliance.
Purpose
Through fundraising and community-based activities, the purpose of the Parent Alliance is to:
- Promote positive school/community relationships that enhance our children’s educational environment;
- Encourage parent and public involvement in SBCS in appropriate ways;
- Provide service for school functions;
- Raise money to contribute to the well being of SBCS;
- Assist with the improvement and maintenance of the school’s physical environment;
- Promote open communication between the administration, faculty, parents, and/or legal guardians, and the community through established and direct lines of communication;
- Bring into closer relationship the home and school such that the parents, teachers, and other school staff may cooperate in the education of children and youth, where these united efforts will secure for all SBCS students the highest advantages in physical, cognitive, social, and personal development.
The regularly scheduled meetings of the Circle of Trustees are on the third Thursday of the month, beginning at 7:00pm.
The regularly scheduled meetings of the Parent Alliance are on the first Wednesday of the month, beginning at 7:00pm. We recommend that you check the SBCS calendar for any changes in meeting dates and times.
Santa Barbara Charter School
Circle of Trustees Members 2021-22
All terms run for the school year: July through June.
- Donna Romani, President & Classroom-based Parent Member / Term Ends – 2023
- Nancy Whittaker , Vice-President & Classroom-based Parent Member / Term Ends – 2024
- Tamara Wright, Secretary & Classroom-based Parent Member / Term Ends – 2023
- Kate Therien, HomeBased Partnership Parent Member / Term Ends – 2023
- Sravanti Veldurthy, Treasurer & Classroom-based Parent Member / Term Ends – 2024
- Doreen Edwards, Teachers Council Member, Classroom-based
- Les Stickles, Teachers Council Member, Classroom-based
- Megan Robertson, Teachers Council Member, HomeBased Partnership
- Cristina Cullen, Director of Operations
Administrative Staff
- Laura Donner Director of Education
- Cristina Cullen Director of Operations
- Tracy Burson Chief Business Officer
- Cindy Emery Enrollment/Reception
Santa Barbara Charter School
Parent Alliance Board Members 2021-22
All terms run for the school year: July through June.
Parent Alliance Co-Chairs
Sravanti Veldurthy
Allison Turkish
Secretary
Emily Schroeder
Treasurer
Anne-Odile Thomas
At-large member/ community outreach
Maria Angeles-Hoernicke
Events
Bianca Garibaldi
Contact Information
All Circle of Trustee members, Parent Alliance Board Members, and ALL SBCS staff may be reached in care of:
Santa Barbara Charter School
6100 Stow Canyon Rd.
Goleta, CA 93117
Phone: 805-967-6522
Email: officesbcharter@sbunified.org