By Sergeant Morefield, Antioch Police Investigations Bureau

On Friday, April 11, 2014 at approximately 12:21 AM, Antioch Police Department Patrol Officers responded to a residence on Hawthorn Court on a report of an audible alarm. They arrived at the home to find the alarm sounding along with an unsecured front door. During a security sweep of the residence, evidence of a large scale marijuana cultivation operation was discovered. Investigators were called in and ultimately seized approximately 500 marijuana plants from the home along with marijuana cultivation equipment. The case is still being investigated by the Antioch Police Department’s Special Operations Unit.

Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to call Detective Koch with the Antioch Police Department at (925) 779-6895. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.

By Acting Captain Robin Kelley, Antioch Police Investigations Bureau

On Friday, April 11, 2014 at 4:27 PM, the Antioch Police Department responded to a report of an armed robbery with shots fired at the Hardy Nix Jewelers store, at 3600 Delta Fair Blvd. As officers were arriving they learned a customer inside the jewelry store had been shot and one of the responsibles in the robbery had been shot by the owner and was down on the ground suffering from a gunshot wound. This subject was later pronounced dead at the scene.

It was also learned a second responsible in the robbery fled on foot east bound towards Kaiser. An extensive search was conducted for this subject with negative results. The victim inside the business was transported to an area hospital with what is believed to be a non-life threatening wound. This information is preliminary as the investigation is ongoing.

According to witnesses, the store owner is who shot the robber and was later taken away by police for questioning.

Antioch Police Investigators are currently following up on leads. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Eric McManus @ (925) 779-6940. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

JOSEPH W. JONES

“SMOKY”

November 14, 1923- February 24, 2014

Born in Utah and raised in Boise, Idaho, Smoky came to Antioch with wife Jody Jones to work for the then new DuPont plant, in 1956. After 26 years with DuPont he retired in 1982. Known for the many charities they volunteered for, the couple was known for always volunteering as a couple. Together they were nominated as Citizens of the Year for many years of work with the Cancer Society, Delta Learning Center, The Senior Center Buses, the Antioch Garden Club, the Antioch Historical Society and the Antioch Friends of the Animals and animal shelter.

Smoky was known as the “Train Man”, having built a wonderful model train layout in his home and much train memorabilia in his garden. Much of the trains have been donated to the Black Diamond Line Train Club on Fulton Shipyard Road and to the Antioch Historical Society. As in life, several charities have already benefitted from their estate. Smoky lost his wife Jody to cancer in 2012 after 60 years of marriage. He was preceeded in death by his wife, 2 sisters, his parents and a son in 1977. He is survived by a daughter, Marsha Habberstad of Idaho and a granddaughter he never knew, Jody Jones Marquette of Idaho, cousins, nieces, nephews and his sister in-law Betty Berg.

His friends and family will gather at the Red Caboose on Fulton Shipyard Road on Saturday, April 12 at 1 P.M. to celebrate his life and their lives as a couple. Smoky actually wired the Caboose and befriended Jim Boccio to help him restore the Caboose when Jim first brought it to the Fulton shipyard location. Smoky was anything and everything about trains and his one great love, Jody.

At its regularly scheduled Board of Education Meeting held on April 9, 2014, the Antioch Unified School District appointed Scott Bergerhouse principal of the new Dozier-Libbey Medical High School Dependent Charter School (DLMHS-DCS) scheduled to open in August of 2014.*

In his new role, Mr. Bergerhouse will form a newly established Community Advisory Committee to determine what supports and enhancements will best serve the needs of the students scheduled to attend DLMHS-DCS in the fall. He will also be meeting with student and parent focus groups to begin planning for the opening of the school.

Mr. Bergerhouse is a well-known and well-respected administrator who began his career in the Antioch Unified School District as an English teacher in 1984 at what was then Park Junior High School. Mr. Bergerhouse has since been an administrator at Antioch High School, Antioch Junior High School, Park Middle School, Deer Valley High School and, most recently, Carmen Dragon Elementary. In 2010, Mr. Bergerhouse was named High School Principal of the year by the Association of California School Administrators. For the past seven years, Mr. Bergerhouse has also been selected by administrators in the District to serve as president of Antioch’s Management Association (AMA). Mr. Bergerhouse has a gift for bringing people together around a shared vision and motivating and inspiring staff and students to perform at the highest levels. He is also recognized in the community as an administrator who values the ideas and input of the people and families he serves.

Mr. Bergerhouse is active in the community and serves as president of the Delta Advocacy Foundation alongside distinguished community members such as Nancy Libbey, Nancy Green and Jack Roddy. Delta Advocacy is a charitable foundation that seeks to provide resources and help to families in Antioch and surrounding areas.

Mr. Bergerhouse will be on the Dozier-Libbey Medical High School campus to meet and greet students, staff and parents beginning Thursday, April 10th.

*DLMHS-DCS was approved by the Board of Education on March 19, 2014 to support and enhance the programs currently offered at DLMHS. The status of DLMHS in the 2014-15 school year is currently uncertain due to a petition to convert DLMHS to an independent charter school operated outside of the Antioch Unified School District. The petition is currently before the Contra Costa County Board of Education.

This Sunday April 13th, 2014 from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M., the StickyCrew Car Club will be holding a car show, car wash, raffle, BBQ and bake sale.

Proceeds will benefit We Care, a foundation that serves our local communities with special needs children in Contra Costa County. Learn more by visiting: www.wecarechildren.org

There will be music, and an activities center for children, good food, and nice cars!

The event will be held at Amigo Tires and Fastenal at 2201 W. 10^th Street in Antioch.

Pleasant Hill, CA, April 9, 2014 – Currently there are more than 8,126 teachers educating approximately 171,418 students in Contra Costa County’s public schools. To recognize their efforts and bring much-deserved honor to the teaching profession, the participating school districts in the county recently named their Teachers of the Year (TOY) representatives. (See list below). The upcoming school year’s 22 TOYs represent 17 Contra Costa County school districts, the Contra Costa Community College District and the Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE). Twenty of the 22 representatives, those who teach K through 12, are eligible to compete in the Contra Costa County TOY competition. The top two teachers in the county TOY program will represent Contra Costa County in the California State TOY Program this coming fall.

“Once again, we have a tremendous group of teachers who have earned their school districts’ highest accolades, due to their talents, work ethic, and dedication. These honored educators not only represent their individual schools and school districts, but also embody all of the exceptional teachers we are so fortunate to have in our county,” reports Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph A. Ovick.

The county’s TOY program is directed by the CCCOE. With such a high caliber of teaching professionals to draw from, the CCCOE’s TOY program uses a three-stage selection process, with a point and percentage system to determine the final candidates as follows:

I Application Screening:
On April 4, a committee of 14 judges, representing the county’s education, business, and public-sector partners carefully reviewed the applications submitted by the school districts. This committee independently rates each application. After the application screening and scoring are completed, four teachers will be selected to advance to the next two phases as finalists.

II Classroom Observation and Interview:
During the weeks of late April and mid May, a small committee of education specialists and business partners will observe the finalists interacting with their students. Immediately following, the committee interviews the candidates discussing topics such as their teaching philosophy and techniques.

III Speech Presentation:
On August 11, the four TOY finalists will each give a three- to five-minute speech to another panel of a dozen educators, business, and public-sector representatives who will judge the finalists on their speech and presentation skills.

On the evening of September 11, 2014, all 22 TOYs, accompanied by their families, friends, and co-workers (an audience of more than 400) will be honored at the annual Contra Costa County Teacher of the Year Dinner Celebration, held at the Hilton Concord. Dr. Ovick, who serves as master of ceremonies, introduces the TOYs by sharing a special story that reflects his classroom visits of each teacher during the current spring and summer months. This will be followed by the four finalists giving their three- to five-minute speeches (same speeches given in August) to the filled banquet room.  Finally, the night will come to a dramatic close with the announcement of the two 2014-2015 Contra Costa County Teachers of the Year.

2013-2014 Contra Costa County Teacher of the Year Representatives:

Kevin Jones, Antioch Unified School District, Antioch High

CiCi Migay, Brentwood Union School District, Brentwood Elementary

Dorinda Mas, Byron Union School District, Discovery Bay Elementary

Jason Davis, Knightsen Elementary School District, Knightsen Elementary

Michael Kleiman, Liberty Union High School District, Freedom High

Nikki Alford, Oakley Union Elementary School District, Gehringer Elementary

Elizabeth Lanfranki, Pittsburg Unified School District, Martin Luther King, Jr. Junior High

Keith Johnson, West Contra Costa USD, El Cerrito High

Jane Kelson, Acalanes Union High School District, Campolindo High

Patrick Leong, Contra Costa County College District, Diablo Valley College

Bruce McCormick, West Contra Costa Unified School District, Portola Middle

Tricia Newhart, Orinda Union School District, Del Ray Elementary

Catherine Patterson, John Swett Unified School District, Rodeo Hills Elementary

Ann Ralph, Moraga School District, Donald Rheem Elementary

Gail Robles, Walnut Creek School District, Parkmead Elementary

Joann Rossi, Contra Costa County Office of Education, Early Start Program @ Marchus School

Stephen Slater, Mt. Diablo Unified School District, Wren Avenue Elementary

Kara Teach, San Ramon Valley Unified School District, Charlotte Wood Middle

Olivia Vann, Lafayette School District, Springhill Elementary

Brian Wheeler, Martinez Unified School District, Alhambra High

Karen Young, San Ramon Valley Unified School District, Coyote Creek Elementary

Kathleen Young, Mt. Diablo Unified School District, Highlands Elementary

Note regarding eligible participants:

• Seventeen of the eighteen Contra Costa County school districts represented, plus the CCCOE are participating in this year’s TOY program. (Because this year’s CCCOE candidate teaches pre-K, she is not eligible in the California State TOY competition.)
• Each year, one instructor from Contra Costa Community College District is submitted to the TOY program for his/her outstanding body of work with their designated college. The colleges rotate each year between Diablo Valley, Los Medanos, and Contra Costa. (These instructors do not compete in the State Teacher of the Year competition.)
• Due to the larger number of students in their districts, West Contra Costa USD, Mt. Diablo USD, and San Ramon Valley USD are allowed to submit two TOY candidates

 

Dear Editor,

Thank you for your continued well-balanced reporting of the contentious issue of the Dozier-Libbey charter conversion.

I know there are some issues where you and I do not, and probably will not ever, see eye-to-eye. However, the need for public school reform has never been one of them. I write today no longer a constituent of Antioch, but as a citizen of California and a school reform advocate. Mr. Crowder hit the nail on the head with his analysis earlier this week. This issue is far greater than Antioch and has the potential to stop the charter-movement, and the school-reform movement, dead in their tracks. Antioch politics have not given rise to an issue with greater state and national significance since I first moved there over ten years ago.

Charter school law is an example of the great power of political compromise. It accords parents and teachers the opportunity to take a direct role in the policies and procedures that govern their local schools while ensuring equal opportunities under the law to students regardless of class, race, or net worth. By vesting the power of school control in those who work with students on a day-to-day basis rather than a district office that needs to find some way of educating students with a disparate set of interests, needs, and motivations, charter schools can overcome the “Harrison Burgeron” effect of many district schools while remaining in the public sphere.

That said, charter school law is not a panacea. Plenty of charter schools fail – some from corruption and some from incompetence. Some commentators suggest that predicting charter school success requires some sort of precognition. This is why the conversion charter is such a strong model. A charter conversion typically requires a dedicated team of professionals with a proven track record of success. Districts (or counties when districts fail to do so) are encouraged to put their faith in a talented group of professional educators and release the reins on successful programs. By allowing self-governance by trusted leadership, school boards, and by proxy voters, are assured they will have successful, cutting edge opportunities for their students.

There could not be a better candidate for this type of success than Dozier-Libbey. Nancie Castro and her tireless, dedicated team have created a truly innovative and successful program—one that has shown excellence working within the confines of a district framework, but could truly soar if those regulations were lifted. There has been a great deal of press paid to specific policy decisions (for example the “no D” policy) that are rooted in research and best practices, but the real power of charter law is not in specific policies, but in the educators’ abilities to shape that policy quickly and efficiently as the need arises.

Even under an independent charter, there are checks and balances. The school must regularly return to sponsoring board to report on its progress and seek a continuation of its charter. A board of directors still has fiduciary duties and oversight responsibilities, and many meet Brown Act style public meeting requirements. Most charters are WASC accredited and require the continuous oversight that an accreditation board offers. Finally, charter schools are subject to state audits to ensure taxpayer money is being well spent and appropriately accounted for. Under this rigorous framework, there is certain to be accountability for public funds.

There has been much discussion in social and mainstream media regarding the equity and access issues to charter schools, specifically to the proposed Dozier-Libbey charter. One of the elements of a charter petition, and one of the most heavily scrutinized elements, is its plan to maintain balance and diversity. No doubt that oftentimes charters do not succeed in this regard. Maintaining true balance in a school of choice is a difficult undertaking and requires a great deal of planning and organization. Even then, it is not always possible.

With the conflicting data being thrown about, I am not comfortable saying whether or not Dozier-Libbey has entirely successful in maintaining a perfect racial/cultural balance in the few years since it has opened. What I can say is that there is no reason to suspect this data would be affected negatively by charter governance. A charter school can react quickly to demographic shifts and recruiting needs than a district school. I can remember many instances when Nancie was trying to get recruiting materials out more quickly, hold more parent meetings, and offer various times of day for parents to sign their kids up for Dozier-Libbey. Oftentimes the attempts were met with the lethargic complacency

of school district policy making. I firmly believe any perceived inequities have been exacerbated, rather than alleviated by district oversight.

It is important at this juncture to discuss the difference between elite and elitist. An elite school creates excellence; an elitist school requires it at admission. Dozier-Libbey is an elite school. Anyone can apply, and anyone lucky enough to be selected in the random lottery can attend. Once that student is on campus, it is up to him or her to succeed. A recent editorial in another publication mocked Dozier-Libbey’s “Cure” program. This program (that I believe no longer operates under this controversial acronym) is exactly what most parents and teachers want – additional one-on-one instruction and support for students who need it.

This is one of the many ways in which Dozier-Libbey is elite, rather than elitist – anyone that chooses to succeed is given every opportunity to do so.

I could go on-and-on about the virtues of the Dozier-Libbey charter petition (perhaps you think I already have). But I wanted to write this to you, personally.

While we disagree on some ideas, we have always respected each other’s minds and hearts. This is a good move for students, a good move for the community, and a good move for the state. I hope you will come out in support of Dozier-Libbey’s charter conversion petition.

Jason Miller

Miller is the Founder and former Administrator of the Delta Academy of the Performing Arts, which is part of the Antioch Unified School District, and is now located at Deer Valley High School.

By John Crowder

Once again, the debate over the feeding of feral cats on public property was a highlight of an Antioch City Council meeting. Following extended comments by citizens and representatives of organizations on both sides of the issue, at the Tuesday, April 8 meeting, the Council voted 4-1, with Councilman Tiscareno against, to pass an ordinance banning the feeding of feral cats on public property.

Just over two dozen people spoke on a motion recommended by city staff to amend in its entirety Title 6, Chapter 1, regarding Animals, of the Antioch Municipal Code. This revision of the code calls for, among other things, the feral cat feeding ban. The emotional issue has come up before the Council for months now, and, as at previous meetings, both sides of the issue were well represented during public comments on the matter.

They began with two young students speaking against the ordinance. Each pointed out that cats, through no fault of their own, had been dumped by their former owners and were simply looking to survive. Their comments were followed by several speakers from cat rescue groups asking that the ordinance not be passed while they implemented a Trap, Neuter, and Release program to solve the problem of feral cats. Speakers said that they had $20,000 in funds committed to such a program.

On the other side, residents, business owners, and representatives of the National Audubon Society asked the Council to pass the ordinance to alleviate problems in the downtown and marina areas with odors and the potential for disease associated with feral cats. Another issue of concern was the possibility of the colonies of cats attacking and harming wildlife on the Delta.

Following public comments, Council members briefly discussed the matter. Councilman Gary Agopian made the point that the proposed ordinance did not prohibit the feeding of cats on private property. Discussion was followed by Mayor Pro Tem Mary Rocha introducing the motion to pass the ordinance, with the caveat that city staff continue to work with animal rescue groups toward a humane solution for dealing with the feral cats. The Council then voted for the passage of the long discussed ordinance.