RAAMP vote postponed

By John Crowder

About a half-dozen Antioch teachers expressed their displeasure with the bargaining process during the comments portion of he March 26^th meeting of the Antioch Unified School District (AUSD) Board.

Comments made by Lenore Navarro, a second  grade teacher at Kimball Elementary School, and a member of the teacher’s bargaining team, were typical.

“On Thursday, March 5, I sat at the negotiating table with your bargaining team for more than four hours, and was dishonored, disappointed, and disrespected because you came to the table with no offer of a salary increase,” she said. “Since June 12, 2013, teachers have witnessed you, the AUSD Board of Education spend enormous amounts of money on employees furthest away from the classroom, those who have minimal contact, if any, with students.”

She then went on to list several positions as examples, including “Directors of Program Improvement, Director of Certificated Human Resources,…Lead Reform Facilitator Coach, a pool of Elementary Vice-Principals,” and others.

Ken Kent, a fifth grade teacher, also at Kimball Elementary, expanded on the comments made by Ms. Navarro. “Our community struggles on many levels, not the least of which is educating its children,” he said. Kent then enumerated specific ways he felt the children of Antioch were being let down. These included increased class sizes, the loss of access to school libraries, combining two grades levels in one room, overlooking unacceptable behaviors, and the hoarding of funds. With respect to the latter issue, he noted that the school district “still has reserve funds of $24 million.”

The next bargaining session between AUSD and the Antioch Education Association, the professional organization and bargaining unit for all the teachers in AUSD, is scheduled for Thursday, April 10^th.

On another matter, the vote on whether or not to extend the charter for the RAAMP Charter Academy of Math and Science (RAAMP) for five more years was deferred until April 9th following the emotional testimony of RAAMP parents, supporters, and RAAMP founder Karla Branch.

Critics of RAAMP, most notably the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA), have contended that RAAMP should be closed because of low California Academic Performance Index (API) test scores. Scott Holbrook, legal counsel to AUSD, stated that, “[academic achievement]…is the most important factor in determining whether to grant charter renewal.” Supporters of the school, however, contend that the data being reviewed do not give a fair picture of the RAAMP program. According to Branch, “API based on less than 99 test scores is extremely suspect.” She went on to request that the board, “…look at the data in its entirety.”

Parents speaking on behalf of RAAMP were, as on previous occasions addressing the board, very emotional in their appeals.

“Every kid that came to RAAMP has been broken by your school system,” said Sabina Araya. “RAAMP has taken it upon themselves to [help them].”

“My son arrived there very discouraged and when he left, he got his confidence back,” parent Angela Lacy-Roberson told the Board. “He’s in high school now, and he’s doing very well. I owe all of that to RAAMP.”

“RAAMP saved my son,” she exclaimed.

Some of the speakers complained of a lack of support from the district, stating, “You don’t come visit us,” and “You don’t know what we do.” These statements, however, were refuted by Board Member Claire Smith. “We don’t have oversight of you,” she stated. “I don’t recall receiving a single phone call inviting me to anything.”

Gary Hack, Board Vice President, addressed the difficulty of the decision before the Board.

“RAAMP doesn’t have great academic success,” he said, but continued, “Kids who are at RAAMP are there by choice. There are a lot of parents who have kept their kids there because it works for them.”

Smith also noted the conflicting ideas the board was being asked to address.

“I fundamentally believe in a parent’s right to choose,” she said. “What do I weigh more strongly, our parents right to choose, or our oversight responsibility?”

Board Member Diane Gibson-Gray expressed some concern with the data, as presented. Because of this concern, she suggested that the decision on RAAMP be postponed until April 9th, in order to have time to review the data provided at a deeper level. Following a short recess, during which Branch agreed with the postponement with Holbrook, the Board voted unanimously to postpone the decision until the April 9th Board meeting.

Finally, problems with student violence at Dallas Ranch Middle School were once again addressed by Taylor Donaldson, a student at the school. Speaking to the Board, she said that her school was now, “missing three P.E. teachers,” and “I’m afraid our school is turning into a disaster.”

Following her comments, she presented the board with a petition asking them to address the situation at her school.  Donaldson proved her tenacity in addressing this issue, as she had spoken about it both at the previous Board meeting, and on Tuesday had addressed similar comments to the Antioch City Council.

Future meetings of the AUSD Board are scheduled for April 9, May 14 and 28 at the AUSD office at 510 G Street.

Antioch, CA – March 20, 2014 – Teachers at Dozier-Libbey Medical High School in Antioch are submitting their petition to convert to a public charter school to the Contra Costa County Board of Education as part of an anticipated appeal process following Wednesday night’s denial of their conversion charter petition by their own Antioch Unified School District (AUSD).

On Wednesday, following the recommendations of AUSD leadership, the district’s board of trustees unanimously voted to deny Dozier-Libbey’s petition to convert to a public charter school. This move effectively removes any authority that AUSD would have maintained over the converted charter school as its authorizing agent. If the petition is approved by the county board, Dozier-Libbey will become a charter school under the authority of this body, and will pay a portion of its state funding to the county board rather than to AUSD.

AUSD’s board of trustees also voted last night to approve the school district’s counter petition to create a “start-up” charter on Dozier-Libbey’s current campus. The district petition, filed two days ago, was signed primarily by teachers from Antioch High School who have expressed an interest in coming to work at the new start-up charter. In accordance with the Charter Schools Act (CSA), student enrollment for the start-up charter would have to be reopened at all grade levels, in effect disestablishing the old Dozier-Libbey Medical High School and creating a new one.

The district’s counter petition, approved by the school board, appears to be an attempt to circumvent state law and create a de facto conversion charter with a new staff. By AUSD’s own admission, the petition is designed to mire Dozier-Libbey’s status as a charter in the courts for “possibly months or years.” The petition will likely be challenged by attorneys representing the original petitioners at Dozier-Libbey in the coming days.

Dozier-Libbey staffers are confident that when the conversion charter petition is eventually approved, AUSD, or if necessary the courts, will act in the best interest of the students of Antioch and allow this new charter school to continue providing innovative educational opportunities unmolested by unnecessary litigation.

District’s Dependent Charter Plan Approved

By John Crowder

Hundreds of people packed the John Muir Elementary School multipurpose room Wednesday night, March 19 as the Antioch School Board heard public comments on, then voted unanimously to deny, a petition filed by teachers from Dozier-Libbey Medical High School to convert it to a charter school. Following that decision the board then voted, again unanimously, to approve an alternative proposal for a dependent charter put forward by district personnel, keeping the school under district control.

The meeting was held in response to a petition filed on February 24^th by 23 of the 26 permanent teachers currently employed at Dozier-Libbey to convert the school to an independent public charter school.

The move to convert to a charter school would provide “a number of advantages for our students,” said Jeff Weber, one of the teachers who signed the petition. “Innovative academic programs, for which the school has come to be nationally respected, will be able to continue, without obstruction from a remote and cumbersome district bureaucracy.”

The move to convert to a charter, however, has strongly divided the community, and last night the school board faced both sides in the issue as those in support of the charter petition sat mostly to their right, and those opposed to their left in the packed room. Following the pledge of allegiance, the only point during the meeting at which all sides seemed to come together, board president Joy Motts called the public hearing on the matter to order. The petitioners spoke first, with virtually all the teachers who had signed the petition standing behind their spokesperson, science teacher Robert Young, as he presented their case. In a twenty minute presentation, he told the board that the conversion to a charter was necessary in order to provide equity with other schools in the district, and that achieving autonomy was vital to “funnel more money into the classroom.”

Following Mr. Young’s presentation, Associate Superintendent Tim Forrester introduced Scott Holbrook, an attorney representing the district, who provided the administration response. Holbrook raised several objections to the petitioner’s request, but focused repeatedly on the question of the proper use of public funds. “You are the stewards of public money,” he told the board. He also noted that, “There are a number of instances where a charter has opened their doors, and in a few weeks closed their doors, and all that money is gone.”

During public comments, which followed the two presentations, supporters and opponents of the charter proposal took turns voicing their opinions. So many wanted to speak that the time for public comments was extended by thirty minutes, resulting in an hour and a half of comments. Those supporting the charter included a number of students from the school, who took turns praising their teachers for their dedication and the care and concern they had been shown by them. A few of them noted that they were special needs students or English learners, as they sought to refute the contention made by opponents that the teachers were looking to establish an elitist school.

“They have our best interest in mind,” said Rachel Vasquez, a student at Dozier-Libbey. “[They] challenge us to be better students.”

Those opposed included district employees and leaders in the community, including Mayor Wade Harper.

“I represent all of the citizens of Antioch,” Harper said. “I cannot support the independent charter at this time. I feel it is divisive.”

The divisiveness of the issue was an idea that would be picked up by the board later in the evening as they debated the merits of this, and the district’s competing proposal.

After the close of the public comments, the board members made brief remarks before voting 5-0 to deny the petition.

Following a recess, the meeting then continued with three district employees, Antioch High School principal Louie Rocha, Deer Valley High School principal Kenneth Gardner, and Assistant Superintendent Stephanie Anello presenting a petition to form a dependent charter school. An issue they repeatedly raised was about fostering an academic environment inclusive of all students, something they contended was lacking in the Dozier-Libbey teacher-backed charter proposal. Following public comments, and after brief remarks, the board then voted, again unanimously, to approve the dependent charter petition.

Even though the AUSD board has now made their decision on the matter, the issue may still be far from settled. In a statement released today, teachers at Dozier-Libbey said they are “submitting their petition to convert to a public charter school to the Contra Costa County Board of Education as part of an anticipated appeal process following Wednesday night’s denial of their conversion charter petition by their own Antioch Unified School District.”

By John Crowder

A petition to form a “dependent charter school” was announced by Antioch Unified School District (AUSD) officials at a meeting held last night in the Dozier-Libbey Medical High School (DLMHS) multi-purpose room. The petition is a response to one that had been filed by current teachers at DLMHS last month. The petition was submitted jointly by Antioch High School principal Louie Rocha, Deer Valley High School Principal Kenneth Gardner, and Assistant Superintendent Stephanie Anello.

In a news release sent out today, Dr. Donald Gill, AUSD Superintendent, said, “The 23 teachers who signed the independent charter petition want to convert one of our highest performing public high schools into a completely independent school separated from AUSD. Dozier-Libbey was created through the ingenuity and close collaboration of the entire Antioch community. We see it as a community asset that should be accessible to every family and type of student in Antioch. The independent conversion charter reflects a policy of exclusion, while the dependent proposal is one of inclusion.”

According to the district’s press release, “The dependent charter petition was submitted to the District as a direct response to countless concerns voiced by parents and staff vehemently opposing the independent conversion charter petition. Since the surprise February 24 announcement that teachers at DLMHS had submitted the conversion charter petition parents have become increasingly anxious and confused about the possible negative impact of the move on students and the school district.”

The release also listed several reasons for putting forward a counter-petition. These included expanding opportunities for parental involvement, fostering an academic environment inclusive of all students, and the continuation of eligibility to participate in District sports teams.

Since the announcement of the charter petition signed by the DLMHS teachers, emotions have been running hot. Advocates on both sides of the issue spoke out passionately at the AUSD board meeting held last Wednesday.

The AUSD board is scheduled to meet in special session to consider both meetings on Wednesday, March 19^th, at 6:00 p.m. in the John Muir Elementary School Multiurpose Room, 615 Greystone Drive in Antioch.

Analysis

By John Crowder

It was quickly apparent to those attending the Antioch School board meeting on Wednesday that it was going to be a hot night…and not just because of the broken air conditioning. At issue was the petition filed by the teaching staff of Dozier-Libbey Medical High School (DLMHS) to convert to a public charter school, and, once the meeting started, it didn’t take long before Superintendent Dr. Don Gill began to attack the teachers responsible for the petition.

Gill read from a FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) sheet, published by the school district, written in the form of questions and answers. The document, along with another similar paper, both now posted on the district’s website www.antioch.k12.ca.us, seems to be an attempt to paint the teachers supporting the petition as a small group of elitist teachers seeking to enrich themselves while excluding African American and Special Education students from their campus. These contentions, however, are not supported, even by the research studies referenced by the Antioch Unified School District (AUSD).

An answer to one of the questions posted by AUSD states, “A small group of staff at DLMHS…submitted a petition to the District to convert DLMHS to a charter school to be operated by a non-profit corporation.”

In fact, as has been widely reported in the media, 88% of the teaching staff at the school signed the petition requesting conversion to a charter school. On another website (www.facebook.com/dozierlibbey), created by those in support of the charter petition, it states that, “all of Dozier-Libbey’s teachers are very much united in this decision.” With respect to DLMHS being operated by “a non-profit corporation,” teachers explained at a subsequent meeting with the public held on Thursday evening that “the ‘corporation’ will be the community members who make up the charter board of directors…including parents [of students].”

The AUSD document makes more than one reference to the idea that, if the charter goes forward, actions they take “may further exclude students interested in the medical curriculum offered at the school.” With reference to a study done by Stanford University, a statement from AUSD reads, “However, that study failed to consider that by implementing a No-D policy and the requirement that all students take advanced courses not required for graduation, the school discouraged the attendance of its highest need students, including African American, English learner, and Special Education students, and effectively self-selected a high achieving population to remain at the school through graduation.”

That contention, however, is both directly refuted in the referenced study, and statistics published in the study support the idea that the programs at DLMHS are particularly beneficial for these very groups they are purported to exclude. In a table from the study that was shown on a slide during the Thursday night meeting (Click here) on page 8, table 2, it indicates that graduation rates for African Americans attending DLMHS in 2012 were 95%, while for AUSD as a whole they were only 67%. For the economically disadvantaged, the rate was 97% at DLMHS, but only 60% for AUSD.

Even more telling was the statistic regarding the percent of graduates completing all courses required for UC/CSU admission. For the class of 2012, African Americans attending DLMHS were successful by this benchmark 94% of the time, while at AUSD the success rate was an abysmal 15%, even below the state norm of 29% for this demographic. The Stanford study further states, “The author believes that DLMHS would benefit from opportunities to have some autonomy in defining its own enrollment, grading, graduation, and staffing policies. Because of its students’ success, DLMHS also has to combat the constant misperception that they enroll higher achieving students.”

The battle was joined, on both sides, when it came time for public comments at the AUSD board meeting. Parents, teachers, students, and former students all spoke on the matter. One parent, Jason Todd, was particularly incensed at the charter proposal. Referencing a discussion that had been held on Tuesday as part of the DLMHS Parent-Teacher-Student Association.

“I saw a staff that was disrespectful of parents, disrespectful of this board…They say they’re successful in spite of this board,” Todd said. “The charter sets up to make it an elitist school. This is a bad way to go.”

Todd was contradicted in his assessment by both current and former students of DLMHS, all of whom spoke in favor of the charter petition.

“This school does not discriminate against students, it simply pushes them…particularly students of low income and color,” said Antonio Hernandez, a graduate of DLMHS and currently a sophomore at Stanford University. “Students don’t go there who are higher achieving, they go there to become higher achieving.”

One thing that is clear, is that the teacher petition to convert DLMHS to a charter school has generated a tremendous amount of emotion, with the fight perhaps only just beginning. Those interested in the issue can continue to follow the positions taken by those on both sides at the above-referenced websites.

The Antioch school board has scheduled a special board meeting on Wednesday, March 19, to be held in the multi-purpose room of John Muir Elementary School at 615 Greystone Drive in Antioch. In addition to a public hearing on the issue, the board is expected to reach a final decision on the charter petition.

A special convening of the Antioch Unified School District (AUSD) Board of Trustees will occur on Wednesday, March 19 according to a letter received on Friday by leaders of the charter conversion movement for Dozier-Libbey Medical High School. The letter was signed by Associate Superintendent Timothy Forrester, and acknowledged receipt of the teachers’ petition to convert to an independent public charter school. The school board meeting, scheduled for 6:00 p.m. in the multi-purpose room of John Muir Elementary School at 615 Greystone Drive in Antioch, will include both a public hearing and a final decision on the charter petition.

Since filing their petition on February 24, teachers have worked feverishly to get their message to the community as to why conversion to a public charter school would be in the best interest of the students at this nationally-recognized pathway high school.

While the conversion enjoys the unanimous support of the school’s tenured teachers, efforts to get parents more involved and informed have been hamstrung by legal action from the school district.

Teachers are hopeful that the majority of Dozier-Libbey parents will attend the upcoming Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA) meeting on campus tomorrow night, March 11, at 7:00pm, where parents will have the opportunity to speak with teachers regarding the conversion. A second public forum for all concerned parents and community members has been scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at the Antioch Community Center, 4703 Lone Tree Way, on Thursday, March 13.

Although restricted from utilizing school resources, including parent communication networks, Dozier-Libbey staff have been communicating the ongoing conversion process to students and parents via social media. An informational page with daily updates has been established at Facebook.com/dozierlibbey.  It is here that questions from the community are being addressed publicly, and a copy of the 121-page petition for charter conversion, signed by the school’s faculty, is available for download.

For more information contact Jeff Weber, (925) 348-6618 or jeff_weber@hotmail.com

By John Crowder

Following numerous complaints about violence, profanity, disrespect, and threatening behavior instigated by a group of out-of-control students at Black Diamond Middle School (BDMS) over the past few months, Antioch Superintendent of Education Dr. Don Gill contacted Dr. John Bernard, a longtime educator and consultant, and asked him to conduct a thorough investigation of the troubled school. Bernard presented a report on his findings at the February 26th meeting of the Antioch Unified School District (AUSD) Board of Trustees.

During his wide-ranging presentation, Bernard essentially confirmed the complaints the Board has been hearing during the public comments section of their meetings over the last few months, complaints that had come from both parents of students at the school and school staff…and added a few additional problem areas that had not previously been identified during the public outcry. Bernard also provided recommendations to the Board regarding actions that could be taken to alleviate the problems.

Bernard prefaced his remarks by outlining the process he had undertaken to conduct his investigation. He noted that there may be other areas of concern, but the ones that he spoke to were those that he had been able to see firsthand, or had discussed with concerned parties at the school. He then went on to describe problems with the physical condition of the school, stating that it was in need of painting and a “thorough cleaning.” He also said that the procedures under which the custodial staff were operating were inadequate.

Student behavior was a particular area of concern, according to Bernard. He confirmed that there were “between fifteen and fifty students who continually challenge adult authority.” Bernard had several recommendations for dealing with this issue, which appeared to be the catalyst for the complaints the Board had been receiving. He called for the identification of these students, and their removal from the rest of the student body.

“They should start school at a different time, have lunch at a different time,” he said.

He also called for the establishment of a school-wide discipline policy. “That means consistency across the board,” he stated.

Bernard also addressed the administration at the school.

“Everything needs to change,” he said, “some classes have a disproportionate number of disruptive students.”

He noted that many policies were inconsistent, including those relating to dress, cell phones, disrespect, and threatening behavior. He recommended the continuing assignment of site support personnel and assistant vice-principals, but noted that additional developmental training should take place for administrative staff.

In addressing the situation with regard to the teaching staff, Bernard noted that there were fourteen teachers who were brand new to BDMS this year. He recommended that teachers be provided with training on classroom management and working with unmotivated students. Bernard also found that there was a greater than average level of absenteeism among the teaching staff at this site, which meant an increase in substitute teachers, who often “had no lesson plan available.”

Bernard also spoke about several other areas in which he found problems, including a lack of communication with parents, site safety, on-campus suspension, tardiness, uniforms, and cafeteria issues. He concluded by urging the Board to implement needed recommendations, monitor their effectiveness, and conduct another review within the next four to five months.

Following the presentation made by Bernard, the AUSD Superintendent, Gill, again addressed the board. “Some of these recommendations Bernard mentioned are already in place,” he said. He went on to inform the Board that up to two positions for “opportunity school” teachers had been posted and applicants were already available for interview.

In other news, two speakers addressed the recent petition by teachers from Dozier Libbey Medical High School to convert the school to a charter school. Both expressed concern about the move, which teachers at the school made because of what they characterized as philosophical differences with AUSD with respect to their original mission. Almost all (88%) of the teachers at the school signed the petition, and the Board must now respond with a hearing on the matter within a month.

By Barbara Zivica

On February 20th, 20 members of Dozier-Libbey Medical High School’s faculty met with a charter conversion consultant and a representative from Clayton Valley Charter High School. Following a lengthy discussion the group unanimously decided to file a petition with the Antioch Unified School District 30 days before the last March school board meeting requesting to convert to an independent public charter high school. (A charter school is a school which receives public funding but operates independently).

I suspect what led to this decision was that the AUSD had been diluting the curriculum at Dozier-Libbey with courses unrelated to its original mission, eliminated the school’s “No D Policy” and allowed students to opt out of some courses. The diverging philosophies between the AUSD and faculty were hindering teachers from carrying out the innovative programs and curricula they built and which made the school a nationally-recognized model.

The reason for the rush to file the petition without including parents, classified staff and the principal was due to concern that, if word got out, the school would have no protection from district-directed personnel changes prior to the petition being filed.

Several public information sessions will be scheduled in the very near future as well as an online forum where parents, students and community members can share input and post questions.