The council casts itself as a forum for making difficult decisions. For instance, a uniform policy was thoroughly debated before the council decided to adopt it. The council backs up its faculty by supporting budget requests. For example, the school has made heavy investments in staff development and computers. Locke is part of the national Accelerated Schools Network, which requires extensive faculty training, and the school has six computers in many classrooms, including almost all classes in grades 6-8.
Members take on other volunteer projects.
Parent rep Rogus built tables for the school's first computer lab, and other members have sought donations of used computers to supplement what the school can buy. The council's current focus is increasing parent participation. Locke has an active parent-teacher committee, but it's small, with a core made up of spouses of LSC members. Another challenge is making the council more reflective of the school's changing enrollment. The council has only one Latino member, a recent recruit, even though the school's Latino enrollment has grown to more than 40 percent.