By John Crowder

At the February 25, 2015, meeting of the Antioch Unified School District (AUSD) Board of Education, a resolution was adopted for the closure of Dozier-Libbey Medical High School (DLMHS) Dependent Charter School, bringing to an end the protracted battle that took place last year between DLMHS teachers and AUSD administrative staff over whether or not to convert the school to a charter school. In addition to this action, representatives of the Black Diamond Middle School (BDMS) Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO) outlined their plans for the remainder of the school year, and board member Walter Ruehlig announced the first in a series of meetings he has planned to speak with members of the community about their questions and concerns regarding the school district.

Dozier-Libbey dependent charter petition surrendered

The action taken to close the DLMHS Dependent Charter School, which has long been expected, passed on a 5-0 vote. With this action, the board has taken one of the final steps it had committed to under a Memorandum of Understanding reached with DLMHS teachers that essentially maintains the governance of the school under district control.

“The board took action to surrender the dependent charter petition pursuant to a settlement agreement reached between the conversion charter petitioners and the District which allows Dozier-Libbey to continue in its current form,” stated district Superintendent Dr. Donald Gill. “The District is pleased to have reached a resolution of this matter with the petitioners and remains committed to the continued success of Dozier-Libbey.”

Black Diamond Middle PTSO announces events

Frances Spijker, President of the BDMS PTSO, along with Vice President Frank DeLuna, addressed the board and members of the public attending the meeting, announcing their plans for various events for and in support of the school for the remainder of the school year. The first event on the calendar is a science fair, which will be open to the public on Friday, March 6, from 5-8 p.m., and again on Saturday, March 7, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. This event will take place in the school’s gymnasium. Other upcoming events include:

• BDMS golf tournament/banquet fund raiser scheduled for Sunday, March 22, at the

  Lone Tree Golf and Event Center

• BDMS ‘Fun Day,’ which takes place on Friday, April 17, during the school day on the

  campus field

• BDMS High Achievers Gala, tentatively scheduled for Monday, May 11

• BDMS Talent Show, ‘The Road To Hollywood,’ tentatively scheduled for Thursday, May 28.

Anyone wanting more information on any of these events, or to learn more about the BDMS PTSO, can contact Frances Spijker at (925) 642-2796, or by email at francesjs1030@aol.com. Their website, with additional information, is www.bdms-pts.org,

Ruehlig Announces Coffee Chats

At the conclusion of the meeting, board member Walter Ruehlig announced the first in a series of informal coffee chats he is scheduling in order to receive input from the public regarding AUSD schools, and to provide parents with an informal opportunity to speak with a board member. The first of the meetings is scheduled for Thursday, March 5, at 7:00 p.m. at the Bluerock Starbucks, 4045 Lone Tree Way, Suite G. Ruehlig also plans to have a guest speaker at each coffee chat. He will be joined by Contra Costa Community College District Trustee Greg Enholm at the March 5 meeting, who will be speaking about dual high school/college credit.

The next regularly scheduled meetings of the Antioch School Board take place on March 11 and 25. Meetings are held at the district office, located at 510 G Street, and typically begin at 7:00 p.m.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 4th, 2015 at 12:57 am and is filed under Education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.