A press briefing was held on Wednesday, March 26, 2014 by the Dozier-Libbey Medical High School teachers working to convert to an independent charter school. Following are their notes.
Provided by Stacey Wickware, Lead Petitioner & Steering Committee Member
As expected, the Antioch School Board of Trustees voted to deny Dozier-Libbey’s petition to convert to a public charter school. This petition will now be forwarded to the Contra Costa County Board of Education on appeal. The board also voted to approve the district’s petition to create a “start-up” charter on Dozier-Libbey’s current campus. Legally, the district’s charter is in question and therefore, our staff has deferred to our legal council, the California Charter Schools Association, and the California Teachers Association for advice on how to proceed on that front. In the meantime, the Dozier-Libbey teachers are moving forward with their independent charter through the appeals process at the county level.
As the dedicated staff at Dozier-Libbey wants the best opportunities for our students and vehemently believes the independent charter conversion is the only option to guarantee the future of DLMHS, the programs we seek to create by converting to an independent charter will provide us the site-based authority to do even better for all students, particularly those who might not be well served in the traditional system.
The district has attempted to paint our conversion charter effort as one without precedent. On the contrary, there are plenty of schools statewide that were considered ‘high performing’ before converting as well. We at Dozier-Libbey believe as these schools did, that converting to an independent charter allows the school to do much better by the students. Although it has been repeatedly stated that “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” we submit that the school under district governance has not been able to do enough to help Latino, African American, English Learners and special education pupils succeed in a rigorous college preparatory high school. We know we can do better with local governance and we owe it to our students to do everything we can for them. Over the past month, even in the face of opposition, our resolve has only been strengthened. We believe there is no place for mediocrity in public education.
It is important to note that the Dozier-Libbey independent conversion charter will be very much a part of the public school system, and one that the community of Antioch will be proud of. Our desire is not to isolate Dozier-Libbey but to raise the bar and close the achievement gap for all public school students by working collaboratively and sharing best practices with public school educators of charter schools and district schools alike. As part of the public school system, we believe it is in the community’s best interest, and that of the school district, to work with Dozier-Libbey students to allow participation in district sports and activities. These students are Antioch public school students. In fact, the intent of Proposition 39 is to ensure “that public school facilities should be shared fairly among all public school pupils, including those in charter schools.” (Ed Code 47614). This includes access to not only the Dozier-Libbey campus but public school athletic facilities. Dozier-Libbey is committed to working together professionally with AUSD to create a workable agreement on behalf of the students of Antioch. We are willing and able to support our students in this process. The ball is in the school district’s court to make the decision to allow student athletes the opportunity to participate in district athletic programs just as they do currently.
The issue of our student body and the lottery system has been raised frequently since the teachers filed the conversion petition. Unfortunately, there has been some misinterpretation of how the legally required public lottery will work. We would like to clarify as follows:
-
All students currently enrolled in the Charter School – these are our current students, all of whom are part of the Antioch Unified School District’s attendance area. This includes, for the first year of the charter, the incoming freshmen already selected through the public lottery.
-
Siblings of enrolled students – these students are siblings of currently enrolled students and therefore should also be part of the Antioch Unified School District’s attendance area.
-
Children of Charter School teachers and staff – since the staff is small, this represents very few possibilities for enrollment (as many as 3 over the next four years).
-
Students who reside in the former attendance area – these are all Antioch students as the former attendance area of DLMHS prior to charter conversion was only open to Antioch students.
-
Residents of the District – this is exactly the same as #4 above since DLMHS enrolled students from the entirety of Antioch and did not have a separate attendance area.
-
All other applicants – if, and only if there is still space available after all Antioch applicants have been placed, students wishing to attend from outside the AUSD may apply. Since the waiting list for DLMHS has been historically long, it is highly unlikely that space will be available for students residing outside the city of Antioch.
We would also like to clarify the confusion surrounding the school’s previous “No D” grading policy. The charter petition mentions the removal of this policy by the school district as an example of how proven, signature practices of the school that were originally supported by district leadership, have been eliminated. It is important to note that the charter petition does NOT indicate a return to this policy, contrary to what you may have heard. Rather, Dozier-Libbey is committed to exploring the best, standards-based grading practices for its students with an emphasis on accurately preparing those students for college, career, and for life. This means that students will be encouraged through best teaching practices and meaningful summative assessments in meeting the “a through g” requirements set forth by UC/CSU. As an independent charter, Dozier-Libbey will have the necessary supports in place to assist ALL students in meeting these requirements. To reduce the main motivation for charter conversion to that of the “No D” policy is an unfair assessment of the charter petition.
Perhaps the most compelling reason propelling the Dozier-Libbey staff forward in pursuing the charter conversion is the ability to fully implement several innovative programs that are only possible with local governance of the school. We like to refer to these programs as our “Sweet 16,” which represents our desire to serve ALL students as they have been designed around producing and developing well rounded, capable young adults. Several of these programs were specifically designed to benefit our disadvantaged students, something that we have not been able to accomplish effectively in the past. These innovative programs are as follows:
-
Aggressive Intervention Programs for All Students Who Are Behind
-
Saturday Bridge to Success to close the achievement gap, focusing on low-performing
students and those below proficiency on state tests.
-
Winter Session for elective credit and credit recovery during Winter break.
-
Summer Science Camp for 1-2 weeks partnering with Livermore Berkeley National Lab,
JGI, California Academy of Sciences, and Exploratorium.
-
After School: Sophomore English support, Explore medical robotics, mini-series on
health topics.
-
Summer Enrichment program with 4-week intensive study to close achievement gap in
reading, writing and math using Achieve 3000, Destination Math, and Khan Academy.
-
Continue mid-day Advisory period where students seek teacher assistance with
assignments.
-
Medical America
-
Implement this new U.S. History course, developed two years ago, that explores diseases, medical discoveries, and innovations in a historical context incorporating ethnic and racial minority inclusiveness with school advocacy projects.
-
Submit course to University of California to obtain approval for this class meeting UC and CSU entrance requirements.
-
Forensic Pathology – The Medical Science of Crime Scene Investigations
-
In partnership with UCSF Forensic pathologist Dr. Sanchez, develop and implement a forensic pathology course including hands-on medical activities with biotechnology,
entomology, toxicology, DNA analysis, blood typing and fingerprint analysis.
-
Students will take trips to the county morgue and a pathology lab. Guest speakers will include a coroner. Submit to University of California to obtain approval for this class
meeting UC and CSU entrance requirements.
-
Good Eats
-
Plant vegetable gardens with organic and genetically modified seeds on campus and
analyze and compare outcomes.
-
Outcomes applicable to health science, science and math classes.
-
Give organic vegetables to school food services for student lunch.
-
Dramatic Expansion of Art Courses and Extracurricular Activities
-
Expand student expression in the arts by offering classes in jazz band, music appreciation around the world, chorus, music composition, drama, ceramics, and cartooning.
-
Get Connected!
-
Implement a student computer server. Students could bring their own computer to
school, and DLMHCS will purchase computers for students who cannot afford them.
-
Server will provide a place to store students’ electronic portfolios and assignments.
-
Students will access this server via the Internet from home and the school network.
-
Books, Books, Books
-
Hire a full-time librarian, which will allow development and implementation of electronic textbooks and reading materials, researching primary source and other databases for student research, and an after-school book club for our voracious readers.
-
It Takes a Village
-
Upperclassmen lead Bridge program (Link Crew) for incoming 9th graders to orient
students to high school focusing on study skills.
-
Upperclassmen and Los Medanos College students lead 10th and 11th grade in one-week
summer program to prepare for success in chemistry, physics, and higher level math.
-
Assign upperclassman to serve as a mentor to each incoming freshman to meet with and provide tutoring and encouragement during the freshman year.
-
Recruit community members with appropriate expertise in medical fields to mentor
students.
-
We Are One
-
Continue with mainstreaming of Special Education and English Learner students in all
classes whenever possible.
-
Monthly teacher collaboration time to creatively design and improve individual Special
Education and English Learner student accommodations and assignments to ensure
success.
-
Two year Spanish class for English Learner students that combines grammar and
academic vocabulary to help re-designate students.
-
Design credit recovery classes tailored to Special Education and English Learners.
10. Sibling Care
-
Many of our students miss school because they need to stay home and care for a well or
sick sibling so their parents can work. We will negotiate a contract for drop-in care with a licensed child care provider preventing our students from missing school and falling behind in their studies. Depending on parent income, this could be free child care or care at a sliding scale rate.
-
This program will also be offered to teachers with young children.
11. The Counselor is In
-
Full-time counselor, and John F Kennedy University psychology interns to run grief, anger management, and stress relief groups during lunch and after school.
12. Happy and Healthy Carnival
-
Partner with elementary schools so that students can conduct a health-themed carnival during the school day. We will focus on students teaching healthy habits to children and parents to encourage physical and mental well-being.
-
Examples of games include a bean bag toss, throwing bean bags shaped like healthy food, into a giant, open mouth; a huge model of teeth and giant tooth brushes with students showing children how to brush properly; and a long, flexible tunnel children crawl through showing the digestive system from beginning to end.
13. Everyone Plays
-
Intramural sports program for all students to promote healthy life-long exercise and teamwork. Possible initial sports: volleyball, tennis, badminton, and basketball.
-
Implement a contract with local In Shape to allow 11th and 12th grade students to continue their goal of physical fitness for life.
14. Health Careers, Here We Come!
-
Using innovative technology that currently exists with our Health Care Partners, watch
surgeries and non-invasive procedures adhering to HIPAA guidelines.
-
Invite nationally recognized medical professionals in the classroom as guest speakers and project judges. Technology will allow us to tap into medical expertise at the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, Contra Costa County Public and Mental Health, and National health organizations such as Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and HHS (Health
and Human Services) under the Office of the Surgeon General.
-
Continue field trips to Kaiser Permanent Operating Room and Nutrition Services (9th grade), John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek (10th grade), e-mentoring by health professional (10th grade), and practice interviews with Human Resources professionals from our health care partners (11th grade).
-
Continue to plan one college field trip per month to a 4-year college, with students attending a minimum of one college trip per year.
15. Beyond the California Coast
-
Through innovative technology, establish virtual relationships with health care providers
around the globe. Implement virtual job shadows where students follow a health care
professional during a normal day.
-
Through technology bring international health care providers and the World Health
Organization (WHO) into the classroom as guest speakers and project judges.
-
Collaborative project work with students from other countries using free CISCO platform.
16. Above and Beyond: Middle College
-
Implement a collaborative agreement with Los Medanos College to have students earn
an AA or AS and a high school diploma in 4-5 years and then transfer to a 4-year college
or university.
-
Counseling and teacher support for all students to succeed.
In closing, it is important to note that our charter petition is a proposal that nearly every teacher on campus participated in drafting, and every teacher on campus supports. We fully understand the value of working together with our community and our parents, which is why the petition states “parents may hold position on the board or in various school committees. Additionally, parents will be strongly encouraged to be involved in and contribute to DLMHS.” The teachers work with students on campus every day and, together with parents, are best situated to these student’s needs. We know these children. We know these parents. We have their best interests at heart and want to ensure that the school operates in a manner that will best prepare these students for success. We want a school that reflects the highest standards of excellence, a culture that empowers teachers, and demonstrates a fervent commitment to the success of every student entrusted to our care regardless of their race, socioeconomic status or learning needs. We must not pass up this opportunity for a great school simply because we have a good one. We ask our students, as does society, to try their best to be their best. It is our responsibility as teachers to model the same high standards to our students. It would be an injustice to ask our students to expect any less. Settling for mediocrity when it comes to education is not an option.
