Thank you for your interest in becoming a Board member at Our Community School. Below is an overview of the Board, its roles and responsibilities, and a link to the school brochure and the Board application.  Should you have any questions, please email governance@ourcommunityschool.org

Mission

Our Community School guides our students to be empowered, ethical, and informed community members. OCS staff members, students, and families strive to create a culture of acceptance and belonging where all students are honored. Our diverse and caring community integrates academics with creativity, thereby fostering independent thinkers, problem solvers, and leaders. We nurture multiple aspects of a child’s development: physical, emotional, intellectual, artistic and social.

Who is Our Community School?

Founded in 2005, Our Community School (OCS) is a TK-8 span school offering two classes per grade level. As an independent charter school, OCS is publicly funded and responsible for all things pertaining to the daily operation and governance of the school, including managing it’s own budget, its onsite administration, professional development, curriculum and methodology and delivery of instruction to an ethnically and economically diverse student population. Within the borders of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) in the San Fernando Valley, OCS is located at 10045 Jumilla Avenue in Chatsworth, California.

OCS Board of Directors

The OCS Board of Directors is a self-perpetuating Board, comprised of seven to eleven members including up to 2 parent members and members of the broader community. In addition, the PTO President, up to four teachers, the Executive Director and the Principal of OCS sit on the Board as non-voting community advisors.  Each director serves for a two-year term; Board terms are renewable on mutual consent of the director and the Board. A director shall not serve more than three (3) consecutive terms and must be absent from the Board for two (2) years before being considered for another term.

The Board’s role is to provide academic, fiscal, and fundraising oversight as it upholds the school’s mission and vision. The Board is responsible for hiring and evaluating the Executive Director on an annual basis. The Board of Directors meets ten to twelve times annually. In addition to these meetings, all Board members are required to serve on at least one of two Board committees (Finance or Governance). Further, all Board members are expected to participate in and assist with the fundraising for OCS.

OCS Board Member Roles

• Board members work collaboratively to ensure the mission and vision of the school.
• Board members maintain high ethical standards in their oversight of the school.
• Board members speak with one voice once a decision is made or resolution passed.
• Board members have substantive knowledge or skills in areas complementary to the needs of the Board, and share these skills to accomplish the school’s goals and priorities.

OCS Board Member Responsibilities

• Oversee fiscal health, academic success, legal matters and regulations related to OCS. Prepare for, attend, and participate in ALL Board meetings, including an annual Board retreat. Prepare for, attend and participate in at least one standing board committee (Finance or Governance).
• Finance Committee meets monthly during the school year. Governance Committee meet 4 times during the school year.
  All Board members will comply with the Brown Act. Each board member will receive annual training on Brown Act compliance.
• All Board members must complete a Form 700.
• All Board Members will make a financial gift to OCS.
• Your financial gift should feel personally sacrificial and be unrestricted (meaning the school can use it for any purpose). Amounts of gifts are not disclosed.
• Actively participate in fundraising, when needed.

 
Encouraged Activities (not required but will help you gain a deeper knowledge of OCS and its programs)

• Attend school events.
• Visit classrooms and observe the instructional program in action.