Every Pali parent is already a member.
PEP stands for Palisades Enrichment Programs, the parent organization at Pali. It is where we come together to build community, raise money for the school, and bring programs to the kids that would not otherwise be here. Enrolling your child makes you a member automatically. Picking a committee is the part that is up to you.
What PEP is
PEP stands for Palisades Enrichment Programs, our parent organization here at Pali. PEP is where we come together to engage in community, raise funds for our school, and help bring supplementary programs and activities to all our kids.
It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and every Pali parent is automatically a member. Membership is the automatic part. Joining a committee is the part you choose.
More for every kid.In every classroom.
Pali is an LAUSD affiliated charter, so the school sets its own class sizes, hiring and technology rather than taking the district default. What parents raise is what makes those choices affordable.
Class sizes are optimized for better engagement. Every K through 5 class has a credentialed teacher and a full-time assistant. Two adults for every class.
A real music teacher, real instruments, and holiday and spring concerts every kid plays in.
Hands-on technology running through all six grades. Coding, building, design.
A dedicated P.E. teacher and a weekly class for every grade, not whenever there is room in the schedule.
Outdoor learning and plant-to-plate cooking right by the library, run by parents and kids together.
Science fair, assemblies, field trips, Bingo Night, Yee Haw Day. Something is always going on.
School governance
Palisades Charter Elementary is an LAUSD Affiliated Charter School governed by its Charter, which outlines the school's autonomy from LAUSD over budget flexibility, hiring oversight, class sizes, technology integration and other policies, while keeping LAUSD funding and oversight by the LAUSD Board of Education and Superintendent. We use a collaborative, consensus-driven model involving parents, teachers and the administration.
Two key bodies
They get confused constantly, and the difference matters when you are deciding where to spend an hour or a dollar.
Governing Council (GC)
Runs the school.- The charter-mandated body, eleven voting members: the principal as chair, six teachers and four parents
- Oversees curriculum, budget, hiring, technology and school policy
- Works through five subcommittees: Budget, Curriculum and PD, Parent Outreach, Personnel, and Technology
- Has authority over all school decisions outside LAUSD mandates, and all decisions must comply with LAUSD policy
- Meets monthly. All meetings are public and Brown Act compliant
Palisades Enrichment Programs (PEP)
Raises the money and builds the community.- Independent from the Governing Council and run by parents alone
- Every enrolled parent is automatically a member
- Members have voting rights in PEP
- A 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation
How decisions get made
Every idea takes the same route, whoever it comes from. A parent, a teacher, a staff member or a student.
- 1
An idea, from any parent, teacher, staff member or student, is brought to the appropriate GC subcommittee.
- 2
The subcommittee researches it, discusses it and estimates costs, then creates a proposal for the GC.
- 3
The faculty meeting reviews and refines the proposal.
- 4
The Governing Council reviews the subcommittee's findings.
- 5
The GC approves it, refines it, or sends it back for more analysis. Approval takes a two-thirds vote if the council is not unanimous.
Funding at a glance
The short version of why PEP exists at all. The district covers the baseline. Everything past the baseline is parents.
LAUSD funds
PEP funds
PEP funding is voluntary, and the Governing Council cannot mandate PEP contributions.
New requests over $300 require a PEP member vote, which happens at the monthly PEP meetings.
The board, 2026–2027
Seven parents, unpaid, running 21 committees between them and everyone who volunteers.
How it runs
Shared governance
No single person holds unilateral authority. Every idea travels through a representative body.
Transparency
Agendas are posted 72 hours in advance and minutes are published within 10 days. All meetings are open to the community, except the GC budget and personnel committees.
Parent power
Parents can serve on the GC, join any of its subcommittees, propose ideas, vote in elections and take part in PEP.