Pali Principal Martinez Faces Tough New Year

When Palisades Charter High School principal Gloria Martinez began her second year this fall, she rejoiced that she wouldn’t be preoccupied with charter renewal, following approval by the L.A. school board in June. But the job of a high school principal leaves little time for basking. This month, Martinez welcomed a record 2,746 students, 100 more than last year, and just 16 shy of the school’s capacity. She also added financial decisions to her duties as she assumed the job of executive director while the board seeks a replacement for Jack Sutton, who resigned last June. As an independent charter school, PaliHi has control and responsibility for the facilities, budget, personnel and curriculum. Simply put, the executive director is responsible for the external business of the school, while the principal concerns herself with the internal workings. So far, the search committee has received a dozen or so applications and will close the process September 30. Martinez said that she hopes to find an office on campus for the executive director, who will report directly to the board of directors, as will she. Meanwhile, Martinez must focus on the increased student body, which affects every aspect of campus life: curriculum, student achievement and safety. “Classes are fuller, the average size is 40,” says Martinez, who admits that more classrooms are needed. Some teachers are handling six classes a day, and students are not always assured the classes they want. “But, if you increase your classroom space, you increase your capacity, so this is a more complex problem than it appears to be.” A large student population also strains the school’s personnel and infrastructure. This year, the areas that are off-limits to students have been demarcated with bright yellow lines. “We like to keep the students in the same area,” Martinez says. “They are not allowed on the second floor during lunch because of the limited supervision, and there are no trash cans upstairs.” Seven faculty members, three campus aides, a security coordinator and a fulltime campus policeman keep their eye on the quad during breaks. Martinez is most vigilant about the students’ social and academic progress. She is especially committed to monitoring students who may have learning issues, social problems or language difficulties. Teachers and administrators have adopted a number of programs designed to help students achieve the goals set out for the year. Known by different acronyms, these plans teach study skills, vocabulary, note-taking and tutoring. There are study teams that assist struggling students. The school has also allotted money for special education students, who make up 5 percent of the student body. “Last year, 500 seniors graduated and 90 percent of them went on to a two- or four-year college,” Martinez says. “AVID (Advance Via Individual Determination) classes strive to make that 100 percent.” In order to ease the journey for incoming freshmen, PaliHi introduced 100 incoming 9th graders (out of a class of 850) to a bridge program this past summer, a kind of summer camp that helped kids socialize and meet the teachers. Martinez herself participated in the second session of the camp, which included hikes, community service, and a sleepover on campus. A native of Whittier, Martinez joined the Pali staff with 17 years in education. She began teaching Spanish at St. Bernard High School, a racially diverse co-ed school in Playa del Rey, where she remained while pursuing her master’s degree and Ph.D. After taking over the vice principal’s position at Malibu High in1996 she made sure that she always taught at least one class’a practice she would like to resume at PaliHi. As principal, Martinez has many constituencies to please’students, teachers, administrators, board members and parents. “My strength is communication, but I would like to develop that more with parents,” says Martinez, whose manner is inviting, her eye contact direct. “Some people maybe would like me to be more forceful, but my style is to be more reasonable. I like to see what their concerns are, listen and look for a win-win solution.” Now that the charter school is fiscally independent, Martinez points to some obvious advantages. For example, teachers have a say in budget requests based on what they might need in the classroom, and they benefit from professional development seminars and workshops. This year they will also enjoy a 4-percent salary increase. There are ambitious plans for facilities, too, according to Martinez. She hopes that her attempts to have an elevator installed will pay off, while parent groups have already formed to begin fundraising for a new theater building, a swimming pool, an all-weather track and artificial turf for the football field.