Board of Education

Dear Students, Parents, Staff, and Community Members,

On behalf of the Oak Park Unified School District Board of Education, thank you for entrusting us to serve the children and families of our exceptional school community. It is our honor and privilege to work alongside Superintendent Dr. Davis and OPUSD’s teachers, staff, and administration, who work tirelessly to ensure that our children are receiving the highest quality education in a safe and secure environment.

At its core, the school board is our most basic example of citizen governance. We exercise the responsibility entrusted to us at duly noticed meetings per California's open meetings laws, commonly known as "The Brown Act" (Gov. Code sections 54950-54963). Our primary responsibilities are to: 

• Set direction

• Establish an effective and efficient structure

• Demonstrate support

• Ensure accountability

• Engage the community

(Maricle, Christopher, Call to Order, Sacramento, California School Boards Association, 2018.)

Building an effective school district culture stems from a positive partnership between the schools and the community. We are fortunate to collaborate with incredible staff who continually go above and beyond to meet the evolving needs of our students and District.

The challenges of the pandemic have impacted all of us, but I am especially proud of the tremendous work our staff has done amid these challenges to adapt, from implementing additional programs to meet student needs to establishing student Wellness Centers that give space to support the social, emotional and mental health of our students, along with numerous other endeavors to support our students. They’ve also done this while responding to new California mandates, including “late start” bell schedules for secondary schools, free school meals for all students, and beginning the process to phase in universal Transitional Kindergarten.

Our Board does its job best when our community, students, families, and staff are actively engaged with us by asking questions, providing feedback, and expressing concerns. To that end, we want all of you and the public to be well-informed and understand our work. You can learn more about the specific functions of the board here:

• Board Bylaws set the structure of our Board and how we handle meetings.

• The Board's calendar of regular meetings is located on our website, and agendas for our regular meetings are posted 72 hours before a regular meeting per applicable law. The dates of regular board meetings are also listed in the "upcoming events" section of OPUSD Newsletter and in the calendar portion of each school's e-newsletters.

• Our Board's governance calendar is located inside our Governance Handbook (*Please note, the timing of some items on the governance calendar is subject to change.)

• All regular Board meetings are recorded and streamed live at opusd.org/livestream. 

If you have an immediate issue or concern, we encourage you first directly to contact the site your student attends. We invite you to become involved with the District by reading District and school communications, visiting Board meetings, participating in the Local Control Accountability Plan process and public hearings, and responding to surveys. You can email us at our district email addresses. We value your insights and are here to listen!

As we look toward the future, we recognize the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our District and public education. From this, we continue to clarify the importance of our shared goals and reciprocal obligations. We are committed to our core values and district goals of increasing academic achievement for all students, investing in student and staff safety and well-being, improving student engagement with educational partners, and utilizing resources efficiently and responsibly.

We hope that you will join us in the work ahead. Together we can help OPUSD achieve its greatest potential!

Sincerely,

Denise Helfstein

OPUSD Board President

dhelfstein@opusd.org