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

 

From the Office of Associate Superintendent, Stephanie Anello in collaboration with Louie Rocha, Principal Antioch High School and Kenneth Gardner, Principal Deer Valley High School

The Antioch Unified School District is once again forced to respond to misinformation from the petitioners attempting to convert Dozier-Libbey Medical High School (DLMHS) to an Independent Charter School. On Friday, April 4, after the Superior Court denied the petitioner’s request for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), inaccurate information was sent to parents and media through a press release. The District wishes to respond to this misinformation:

Misinformation #1:

The petitioners’ press release states that the Dozier Independent Charter Petitioners, “won a small victory in the Superior Court of Contra Costa County when the Honorable Judge Laurel Brady agreed that demands being made by the Antioch Unified School District (AUSD), with the regard to a questionable counter charter proposal, were unreasonable.”

Fact:

On Thursday April 03, 2014, the conversion petitioners’ lawyers with barely 24-hours’ notice to the District filed for a TRO against the District and Associate Superintendent Stephanie Anello and Superintendent Dr. Donald Gill.

The petitioners sought to restrain the Dozier–Libbey Medical High School-Dependent Charter School (DLMHS-DCS) from using the name Dozier-Libbey, and from enrolling students and hiring staff to work at the lawfully approved dependent charter school.

The application for the TRO was heard on Friday, April 04, 2014 at the Superior Court of Contra Costa County in Martinez. The Honorable Judge Laurel Brady refused to grant the TRO, due to her need for more time to review the “complexity” of the case, and instead postponed the matter to a full hearing on April 28, 2014

Until the hearing, the Judge requested the District extend the deadline for students and staff to express interest in attending and working at the new dependent charter school until April 28, 2014.

The District agreed to do so. At no time did the judge say that the Dependent Charter was “unreasonable” in its effort to launch this new start-up charter. The Judge also confirmed DLMHS-DCS is not restrained from continuing with its activities.

Misinformation #2:

The petitioners’ press release states, “The process to convert the Dozier Libbey into a public charter school was greatly confused last month, apparently deliberately so, when the district filed and approved its own petition to convert the high-performing medical pathway school into a district-dependent charter school, immediately after denying the original independent charter petition submitted by the faculty of Dozier Libbey Medical High School.”

Fact:

The District has not and will not deliberately confuse our parents and staff! The fact that the petitioners met in secret without involving students, parents, and the community in their plans is what caused confusion. Continued misleading information such as the press release sent out on Friday April 4th continues to confuse students, their parents, and the community.

Misinformation #3:

The petitioners’ press release states, “The legality of the district’s petition is highly suspect as the district was unable to obtain a single signature from Dozier Libbey faculty (California Ed Code requires concurrence of 50% of the current teachers plus one). A preliminary injunction request has been filed with the court against AUSD on behalf of the students, parents, and faculty of Dozier Libbey Medical High School, the hearing for which is set on April 28th.”

Fact:

The DLMHS-DCS petitioners did not file a ‘conversion’ charter petition, they filed a “start-up charter petition” to form a charter school that supports and enhances the current DLMHS. The teacher signature requirements for a “start-up” petition are different in that they may be signed by any teacher “meaningfully interested” in working at the school. It is interesting to note that the dependent charter petition contained 127 teacher signatures “meaningfully interested” in working at the school–nearly six times the number of signatures in support of the independent, conversion charter petition.

Misinformation #4:

The petitioners’ press release states, “Pending this hearing, the judge has ordered the district to withdraw its demand that parents enroll their children in the district’s dependent charter by April 7. The district has repeatedly admonished parents that in failing to do so parents will risk losing their spot at the school next year. The judge further ordered that the district withdraw its demand that Dozier Libbey teachers commit to employment at the district dependent charter by the close of business today, or risk termination.”

Fact:

Judge Brady did not order the District to withdraw any “demand.” Rather, Judge Brady extended the time frame for students to express interest in enrolling in the new DLMHS-DCS. She never used the words “rescind” or “withdraw”. She asked the District to extend the deadline and the District agreed.

Following the approval of the new DLMHS-DCS, parents and community members currently enrolled at DLMHS continued to ask for assurances that their children could attend the new DLMHS-DCS. The District sent out a letter to these parents first granting them a spot if they so choose. Starting a new school takes a lot of planning and hiring so knowing how many students would enroll in the new school was a crucial and necessary first step.

Additionally, the District sent out a letter to current DLMHS staff asking if they would be interested in working at the new start-up DLMHS-DCS prior to opening the positions for transfer according to the Antioch Education Association (AEA) bargaining contract. At no time were staff told they would be terminated. Proponents of the independent charter appear to have misinformed students and parents.

Misinformation #5:

The petitioners’ press release states, “Although the district’s charter was initially described in public hearing as a new start–up charter, AUSD has since announced via social media that its charter will replace the current Dozier Libbey Medical High School. The district has not yet provided legal justification for how it would accomplish what would appear to be a clear violation of both California Education Code and the Charter School Act of 1992.”

Fact:

The District has not announced via social media that the DLMHS-DCS would replace DLMHS. DLMHS-DCS will enhance and support the current curriculum and supports provided by DLMHS. Once the community advisory committee comprised of parents, community, and staff is established, enhancements such as a dual immersion medical courses, an opportunity for students to receive a seal of bi-literacy, or a middle college opportunity will be discussed.

Misinformation #6:

The petitioners’ press release states, “Supporters of the Dozier-Libbey believe that the court, like much of the Antioch community, will take a dim view of the school district’s attempt, with great expenditure of public funds, to confuse the issue of the school’s legal conversion to a public charter school.”

Fact:

The community has voiced little to no support for the independent, conversion charter petition submitted by the 23 Dozier Libbey Medical High School teachers. In fact, at the public hearing before the Board of Education on March 19, 2014, parents and community members expressed their overwhelming disapproval of the petition to convert DLMHS into an independent charter school.

The petitioners’ press release did get one thing right —the District has been forced to use money and resources that should be going to 18,000 students in order to respond to the unsupported and unnecessary actions of 23 petitioners.

 ———–

Following is the complete press release from the teachers organizing the Dozier-Libbey independent charter conversion:

Antioch Unified School District Ordered to Rescind Dependent Charter Deadlines

Martinez, CA – April 4, 2014 – This morning the students, parents, and teachers of Dozier-Libbey Medical High School, fighting to convert their school to an independent public charter school, won a small victory in the Superior Court of Contra Costa County when the Honorable Judge Laurel Brady agreed that demands being made by the Antioch Unified School District (AUSD), with regard to a questionable counter charter proposal, were unreasonable. 

The process to convert Dozier-Libbey into a public charter school was greatly confused last month, apparently deliberately so, when the district filed and approved its own petition to convert the high-performing medical pathway school into a district-dependent charter school, immediately after denying the original independent charter petition submitted by the faculty of Dozier-Libbey.  The legality of the district’s petition is highly suspect, as the district was unable to obtain a single signature from Dozier-Libbey faculty (California Ed Code requires concurrence of 50% of the current teachers plus one).  A preliminary injunction request has been filed with the court against AUSD on behalf of the students, parents, and faculty of Dozier-Libbey Medical High School , the hearing for which is set on April 28th. 

Pending this hearing, the judge has ordered the district to withdraw its demand that parents enroll their children in the district’s dependent charter by April 7.  The district has repeatedly admonished parents that in failing to do so parents will risk losing their spot at the school next year.  The judge further ordered that the district withdraw its demand that Dozier-Libbey teachers commit to employment at the district dependent charter by the close of business today, or risk termination.

The teachers of Dozier-Libbey filed a petition last February, in accordance with the charter schools section of the California Education Code, to convert their school to a public charter governed by a school board that would be independent of AUSD’s board of trustees.  The teachers’ 121-page petition presents a strong case for significantly improving academic programs and fiscal management at this respected pathway school, however AUSD denied the petition last month, prompting teachers to file an appeal with the Contra Costa County Board of Education.  The school district took the additional step of approving its own charter petition for Dozier-Libbey that would leave the school under the governing authority of the AUSD board.  Although the district’s charter was initially described in public hearing as a new start-up charter, AUSD has since announced via social media that its charter will replace the current Dozier-Libbey Medical High School .  The district has not yet provided legal justification for how it would accomplish what would appear to be a clear violation of both California Education Code and the Charter School Act of 1992. 

Supporters of Dozier-Libbey believe that the court, like much of the Antioch community, will take a dim view of the school district’s attempt, with great expenditure of public funds, to confuse the issue of the school’s legal conversion to a public charter school. 

The case pending before the Contra Costa Superior Court is Dozier-Libbey Medical High School et al. v. Antioch Unified School District, et al. (Case No. CIVMSN14-0453).  A ruling is scheduled for 9:00am on April 28th.  Updated information can be found online at DozierLibbeyCharter.com.

By Allen Payton

On Friday morning, April 4, 2014, Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Laurel Brady asked the Antioch Unified School District to postpone deadlines for the 2014-15 school year, under the district’s dependent charter.

Although the teachers in favor of the independent charter are claiming a minor victory, the judge’s decisions merely asked the district to postpone until April 28, the requirement that Dozier-Libbey teachers commit to employment at the district dependent charter by the close of business Friday. In addition, the deadline for parents to sign-up their students for the Fall was also postponed from Monday, April 7 to Monday, April 28.

A complete hearing of arguments from both sides and a ruling is scheduled for 9:00 A.M. on April 28.

The decisions were in response to a temporary restraining order filed by the attorneys for the organizers of the independent charter conversion to stop the district from moving forward with its dependent charter conversion.

However, the judge refused to hear that and the district was not prevented from moving forward and allowed to proceed with the dependent charter, as planned.

The case pending before the Contra Costa Superior Court is Dozier-Libbey Medical High School et al. v. Antioch Unified School District, et al. (Case No. CIVMSN14-0453).

This article was revised at 3:27 p.m., Saturday, April 5, 2014

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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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).

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

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.