Governance
As a district-affiliated charter school, Carpenter has significant autonomy over policies, programs, and procedures at the school. The school's Governance Council, comprised of elected teacher, parent, and staff representatives, focuses on fulfilling the objectives and goals outlined in our school’s Charter. The Council acts in an advisory role to the school's administration in a range of areas including curriculum, hiring, budget, safety, enrollment, and establishment of local policy.
Front row: Anne Braverman Gips, Principal Martinez, Christine Colbert.
2nd row: Mike Fine, Margie Mintz, Alisha Jenkins, Marci Dobrow.
3rd row: Jenna Cherney, Colin Sweeney.
4th row: Orit Edelman, Stacey Freiberg.
back row: David Rubio, Stephen Chrabaszcz, MaryBeth Fitzgerald, Roxanna Dixon.
Governance Council Social Media Policy
Governance Council Composition
There are 16 representatives on the Governance Council. Elections are held in the fall of each year to fill vacant Governance Council positions. Representatives are elected to a two-year term by their respective constituencies.
Parent Representatives
Colin Sweeney, Council Co-Chair, Executive Committee: carpentergovernance@gmail.com / sweeneycolin@yahoo.com
Margie Mintz, Council Co-Chair, Executive Committee: carpentergovernance@gmail.com / margiemintz22@gmail.com
Jenna Cherney, Council Vice Chair: jennacherney@gmail.com
Anne Braveman Gips, Secretary: annebraveman@yahoo.com
Mike Fine, Council Parliamentarian: dmichaelfine@gmail.com
Stephen Chrabaszcz, Parent Representative: stephenfrancis3@yahoo.com
Marci Dobrow, Parent Representative: marcidobrow@gmail.com
Orit Edelman, Parent Representative: orit.edelman@gmail.com
David Rubio, Parent Representative: rubiodr@yahoo.com
Raina Penchansky, First Alternate Parent Representative: rpenchansky@mac.com
Tara Ghiglieri, Second Alternate Parent Representative: tararadcliffe1@gmail.com
Staff Representatives
Joseph Martinez, Principal, Executive Committee: Call School Office
Stacey Freiberg, Teacher Representative, Executive Committee: sfreiberg@roadrunner.com
Alisha Jenkins, Teacher Representative: alisha.jenkins@lausd.net
MaryBeth Fitzgerald, Teacher Representative: maryfitzgeraldsclass@gmail.com
Roxanna Dixon, Teacher Representative: roxanna.selkirk@lausd.net
Christine Colbert, Teacher Representative: ccolbert@lausd.net
Donna Gatewood-King, Teacher Representative: dmg3119@lausd.net
Margie Mintz, Classified Staff Representative: margiemintz22@gmail.com
Meetings
Governance Council meetings are generally held every third Thursday of the month at 3:15 pm in room 42. These meetings are always open to the public. Parents, guardians, and all members of the community are encouraged to attend.
Monthly meeting times and dates are posted on the school calendar and are announced in Carpenter's weekly email blast. Meeting notices and agendas are posted on the Governance Council bulletin board in the school's main hallway at least 72 hours in advance of meetings and can also be found on the school's website.
If you would like an item on the agenda and/or have a concern or idea you wish to make known to the Council, please contact carpentergovernance@gmail.com a minimum of one week before the next scheduled meeting. You are also welcome to raise an issue during the public comment period of the meeting, keeping in mind that public comments are limited to three minutes per speaker, per issue. You will be asked to sign in at the beginning of the meeting.
Committees
The Governance Council has established advisory committees to help the Council operate more efficiently as it works towards achieving the goals outlined in our charter. These committees meet separately from the Governance Council and report their progress at the regular monthly Council meetings. All member of our school’s community are encouraged to attend committee meetings. In committee meetings, all attendees are welcome to speak and vote on issues. There are no requirements to be a member of any of committee. Involvement in committees allows broader participation by giving all stakeholders the opportunity to contribute, research, and make recommendations to our school Council.
Standing committees generally meet monthly. Meetings are posted on the school calendar and are announced in Carpenter's weekly email blast. Ad hoc committees are established when a specific issue requires a dedicated team to conduct research before a governance decision is made. Ad hoc committee meeting information will be posted on the school calendar and announced in Carpenter's weekly email blast. All meeting dates, times, and locations are subject to change based on other school events. Please be sure to check the school calendar before any meeting you plan to attend.
Standing committees:
Budget & Finance – David Rubio (rubiodr@yahoo.com) and Mike Watts (mikewatts1023@gmail.com)
Curriculum – Last Tuesday of each month at 7:30pm; Orit Edelman (orit.edelman@gmail.com)
Safety – Second Monday of each month at 8am; Oliver Latsch (oliver@latschlit.com)
Strategic Planning – Second Tuesday of each month at 3:15pm; Colin Sweeney (sweeneycolin@yahoo.com)
Technology – Every six weeks at 3pm (10/20/20, 12/1/20, 1/12/21, 2/23/21, 4/6/21, 5/18/21); Steve Grushcow (steve.grushcow@nylontechnology.com)
Ad hoc committees:
Attendance
Bylaws
Communications
Diversity/Equity/Inclusion (DEI)
Elections
Extracurricular Programs
Grants
Welcoming Committee
Local School Leadership Council
Carpenter has a new governing body, the Local School Leadership Council, that will be composed of teachers, parents, administrators, and classified staff. Our new council will be charged with the school calendar, staff professional development, positive behavior support, and guidelines for school equipment. Our council will be seated at our first meeting on September 22nd. Subsequent meetings will take place on the second Thursday of each month in Cafe West. Our council will comply with the Brown Act and follow Robert’s Rules of Order. Please check back here for future agendas, meeting minutes, and the work accomplished by our council. If you have any questions, please contact Kristine Shahine (second grade teacher) at klt1708@lausd.net.
