Hillsboro parent leaders press district for clearer, ongoing family-engagement communication

Parent leaders from Hillsboro School District 1J urged the school board on Monday to strengthen ongoing communication between principals, Parent Advisory Councils (PACs), PTOs and district staff, saying outreach is inconsistent across schools and that parents are sometimes unaware of decisions that affect their children.

The comments came during a presentation by the district's family advisory group. Fernando Garcia Guerrero, the district's family engagement specialist, introduced the group and described its role in promoting family and community engagement across schools. "Good evening. Everyone. I'm happy today to introduce you to our family advisory group," Garcia Guerrero said.

The parents said the group holds monthly meetings and provides leadership training intended to help parents represent their communities and bring concerns to school leaders. "My name is Laura Gomez," said one presenter, who spoke about outreach, leadership training and efforts to involve Latino parents in school events and leadership roles.

Why it matters: Board members said inconsistent communication with families can leave families feeling excluded and reduce participation. Several board members asked staff to return with a more formal presentation on how the district defines and supports effective principal–PAC/PTO partnerships so successful practices can be replicated across schools.

What parents told the board - Parents said PACs sometimes do not receive timely information about decisions affecting schools and recommended more frequent contact than the current annual or occasional outreach. They described successful events'including a community-wide event at "Hill High" that drew Univision coverage'as examples of what consistent collaboration can produce. - Recommendations included expanded leadership training for parent leaders, carrying parent participation information to multiple conferences, and stronger, ongoing connections between PACs and the district's family outreach team.

Staff response and next steps - District staff acknowledged the inconsistency and told the board they can present a formalized description of expected supports and engagement practices. A staff member said the topic could come back as a presentation at a public board meeting and that school improvement plans already include family engagement goals that can be used as examples. - The board asked staff to surface examples of high-functioning principal–PAC partnerships and to outline practices the district can promote to make support more consistent across schools.

Context and constraints - Speakers noted that relationships between PACs and PTOs sometimes feel competitive and that several schools have fewer Latino families in PTO meetings. Parents and staff also said political or community pressures can make some parents reluctant to attend school meetings. - Parents and staff emphasized that normal school complaint protocols still apply; the PAC presentations are intended to add ongoing communication and to surface issues earlier, not to replace school-level problem reporting.

What the board can expect next District staff committed to preparing a public presentation describing: (1) the district's expectations for principal engagement with PACs/PTOs as reflected in school improvement plans; (2) examples of high-functioning principal–PAC partnerships; and (3) opportunities for targeted leadership training and outreach to increase PAC participation.

Ending note: Parents said they would follow up with written recommendations and data from PAC meetings; board members said they will continue to press for clearer, routine communication to reach families across the district.