Three critical yardsticks define a thriving city; public safety, economic vitality, and good schools. After the October 11th release of the current California educational gold standard, the Academic Performance Index (API), Antioch has secured another stake in its’ claim of nailing down the school factor.

Not to get too heady, as there is bountiful growth opportunity, but the notable news is that Antioch gained an impressive twelve points district-wide. This was the seventh in the last eight years that we have progressed, Last year was the sole exception with a one point decrease, but in 2010 we jumped fifteen points. Even if we are not fully satisfied of where we stand, we can be optimistic of where we are heading.  It’s worth noting that eight years ago we stood at 703. We are now at 742 and moving.

Obviously, nobody will take a breather until we’re at the vaunted 800 mark and from there we will shoot yet higher. Remember, though, we’re not an elementary, nor a small rural or suburban district. We’re a K-12 District with 18,600 students, in the top 10% of the state size-wise. Unarguably,then, we’re an urban center, with all the attendant complexities of transiency, high numbers of English language learners, special ed students, minority populations, free and reduced lunch, and foster and group home children. Added to the challenges, we have lost 100 million in state funding over the last five years.

Where then does the credit go for our steady growth despite hurdles?  Intelligent use of data, targeted interventions, pull-out programs, after-school tutoring, peer training and  collaboration all play a role. It all starts, though, with dedicated teaching. In fact, studies show that three consecutive years of a good teacher virtually insures permanent academic success. The same holds true in reverse. Kudos, then, to our teachers serving in the trenches, overworked and under-appreciated.

Particular kudos go to Live Oak High for leading the pack at an incredible 105 point increase; to Mission Elementary with an astounding 52 point increase, to Fremont at 47 points and Marsh closely following at 44. Proudly, five schools topped 800; Diablo Vista, Lone Tree, John Muir, Orchard Park Elementary schools and Dozier Libbey High School. Three knocked on the door of 800, just points away; Carmen Dragon, Grant and Sutter Elementary. Significant increases were also recorded by Kimball Elementary, Black Diamond Middle, Dallas Ranch Middle and Park Middle, as well as by Antioch High and Deer Valley High.

Of particular note in our battle to narrow disparity and the achievement gap, the African American group posted a 24 point increase district-wide and boasted an eye-popping 48 point increase at Antioch High.

We’d be remiss if we did not award resounding cheers for the Filipino sub-group which scored a breath-taking 848 and the Asian sub-group a collective 843. They are a model to us all of what high family expectations can mean.

I have seen first-hand how education influences a community. I grew up In Great Neck, Long Island, where in the 1960’s we had one of the top ten school districts in the country. People would literally leave notes at my family door asking that if we ever decided to sell to please call them.  It was essentially a waiting list to get into our town. Antioch’s positive news, then, spells good omens for real estate prices.

Our schools, hoisting increasing test scores and a state-blazing linked pathways career academy program, can do wonders for Antioch. We can make this a town people are knocking the door down to get into and not get out of. Congratulations students, parents and teachers for setting one of the blocks needed to establish the kind of town we all envision. It’s all about placing one brick at a time.

Walter Ruehlig

A.U.S.D. Board of Trustees

I am Walter Ruehlig’s toughest critic. Whatever arguments there are for or against his campaign and candidacy for Antioch City Council; I vouch my husband will bring to the Council one undeniable and most important character trait. Walter Ruehlig cannot be bought nor bullied.

The German origin of the Ruehlig last name means calm or steady.  However, adversity has toughened the spirit underneath the gentle facade. His mother, Marie, died of cancer at age ten.  At age fourteen, Richard, an older brother, was institutionalized for mental illness.  Walter worked his way through college and graduated Cum Laude from the State University of New York in Albany. One of his first jobs was teaching English-As-A-Second-Language for the Peace Corps in Sultandag, a village in Turkey which had neither running water nor electricity.

It is no surprise then that Walter was undaunted when he joined the Antioch Unified School District (AUSD) Board of Trustees in 2004 while the District was on the fiscal watch list with a 9 million dollar deficit and a 703 Academic Performance Index (API) score.  Today, the District has a 34 million ending fund balance, has climbed to a 742 API score with eight schools hovering or above the vaunted 800 mark and has become a state trailblazer in link learning with five career academies.

Walter will not be deterred by the challenges of crime, blight and economic lethargy.  This gutsy, transplanted New Yorker will help build the city that we envision and stand unfazed by allures or threats from special interest groups that carry a price tag for their loyalty.  For Antioch, the best is yet to come.

Cynthia Ruehlig

Antioch

On November 6th, the voters of Antioch will be asked to fill three open seats on the Antioch School Board. I highly recommend Barbara Cowan as one of those selected for a board seat.

Mrs. Cowan is a newly retired teacher/administrator. Her 39 years of experience in this noble profession has given her the many experiences necessary to bring valuable knowledge to the Antioch School Board. She will be open and honest in her communications and continue a climate of trust and openness. Her understanding of education and willingness to hear new ideas and suggestions on how to continue improving the system will be a benchmark in her contributions.

Barbara Cowan has taught at all levels and has been a principal of middle schools and high schools. She has also been a special education coordinator. Mrs. Cowan is fluent in Spanish and has had many years of experience in predominately Hispanic schools.

Excellence in the classroom begins with excellence in the boardroom. I urge you to vote for Barbara Cowan.

Richard Asadoorian, Antioch

Trustee, Contra Costa County Board of Education

(the views expressed here are mine as a private citizen and do not reflect the opinion of the other board members)

No More Solyndras – and No More McNerneys

The year Jerry McNerney was elected to Congress, he declared that “green energy” would be his “signature issue.”

It turns out his signature was written in disappearing ink.

On the defensive, McNerney is suddenly running away from the issue that defined his candidacy and his entire record in Congress — the advocacy of green energy, its supposedly endless economic potential, and the need for costly government incentives to promote its development. 

Despite his ostensibly dogged commitment to green energy, Jerry McNerney was one of only two California Democrats who voted last week for the No More Solyndras Act in the House of Representatives. The legislation, H.R. 6213, calls for a complete end to clean energy loan guarantees.

McNerney’s vote is more transparent than Solyndra’s discarded solar tubes (which now feature in a Berkeley art installation). It was a flip-flop designed to help McNerney survive an increasingly difficult re-election campaign. This is the same Jerry McNerney who supported loan guarantees for Solyndra, the now-bankrupt recipient of $535 million in US government-backed loans — the same McNerney who pocketed a $2,400 campaign contribution from Solyndra’s lead investor.

In a recent interview, McNerney defended government loan guarantees even in the face of Solyndra’s bankruptcy. “It’s not a good argument to say that the failure of one company is an indication that the whole industry has a problem,” he said. “I think it’s reasonable that renewable resources companies can look to the government for help both in research and in incentives.”

“I think there is a need for loan guarantees,” McNerney said in the interview, designed to promote his book, Clean Energy Nation. 

Seems like McNerney’s true “signature issue” is saving his political career. 

Kevin Spillane, Ricky Gill for Congress campaign

Editor,
I would like to apologize to the citizens of Antioch for the misrepresentation which took place in a political advertisement published in the Antioch Herald last week.

A photograph of Walter Ruehlig who is running for City Council, was published standing alongside Rudy Fernandez and Michael Manalac. The photograph was taken in front of the grotto at St. Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Church and the endorsement alongside the photograph gives the impression that Mr. Ruehlig is being endorsed by the Catholic Church, St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish,and the Filipino-American Society. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

The photograph and endorsement were done without permission and the publishing of this advertisement was very unfortunate. It is an indication of poor judgment that reflects upon the qualifications of the candidate.

Again, my apologies to all those who were offended by this ad.

Father Robert Rien, Parochial Administrator, St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish

Dear Editor:

It’s time to remember all those “Out of Box” and “Silver Bullets” ideas that didn’t work out last election and really just concentrate on the values and traditions already in the box. We need to consider how effective our district is by:

1. Asking are the programs currently ongoing effective for the students?

2. Are our schools being maintained in a clean and healthy environment for our students?

3. Are the teachers and staff motivated and in turn motivating our students to reach higher goals or are some just riding out the last years before retirement?

4. Is the administration prepared with back-up staff members who at a moment’s notice take the place of an ill or incapacitated key figure to keep the district going?

Answers to these questions will not make everyone happy or comfortable but, our students deserve the best fighting chance in our current economy.

Jack Yeager

Candidate for Antioch’s Board of Education

September 5, 2012

Dear Editor:

The new EB ramp at Loveridge to Route 4 might open today (or soon). I hope to see a reduction in merging congestion at Loveridge EB in the PM rush. If this occurs, I would be inclined to give a thumbs up to the design and construction team to be able to reduce congestion during the construction.

This has happened with the EB on ramp at Somerville – it is now longer and allows a more controlled merge.

If this effort gets noticed, they might even do more to improve the commute.

Lloyd Young

Dear Editor:

This is an open letter to parents of school children in Antioch.

School will begin on August 15 and August 22 or after Labor Day and the summer vacation will come to a semi-official end. Students will experience some difficulty adjusting to school and will have different responses depending on their age. Elementary school students will be happy to begin school because they are in the exploratory stage of their lives and they are excited to go to school and participate and hang out with their friends. Middle school students are at the beginning of their independence and will not be so thrilled to return to school as they will have to be reminded about the rules all over again. High school students will vary on their excitement to return to school based on the type of summer that they had working, hanging out with friends, traveling with friends and relatives, or just hanging around the house enjoying their free time. Of course, for those who will return to school as “seniors”, they will be excited to begin the year as it holds much fun and promise.

Here are some tips to follow to help your child adjust to the school schedule. Approximately 1 week to 3 days before school, parents should begin reminding their students that their schedule at home will change. Establishing a regular family routine will make it easy on the entire family as well as ease the stress on the daily routine of work and school. Here are my recommendations:

Parents should think about what they need at home for their sanity (smile) and be clear about rules and expectations before talking to their children about the back to school routine. Once this is determined, parents can have open discussions at the dinner table regarding the routine and ask their children for their input.

School night rules should be discussed approximately 1.5 weeks before school or a week after school begins, as children will have to accept the idea that they are going to lose some of the freedom that they had during the summer. This means no late night TV watching, the expected schedule for completing homework, and any other household routine that the parent is expecting from the child.

Students should begin going to bed around the time they would have to go to bed on a school night. No more late nights for elementary and middle school students.

High school students should be reminded about school, and given the chance to correct their own bedtime schedule before parents step in and do it. This will give them a chance to embrace their independence in a responsible manner.

Parents should talk to their children about expected behavior in school during the day as it relates to mom or dads availability (or not) due to working full time.

Parents should begin updating all emergency contacts and placing them in an accessible place in the home. Parents should discuss if their child will have a cell phone if the child is in elementary or middle school and should discuss the purpose of the cell phone (.i.e. emergency use only). Safety rules and expectations should also be discussed especially if the child will walk, skate, ride their bike, ride with a friend etc. to school. If the child will walk to school, parents can begin practicing the walk 2

with their child so the expected route will be familiar to the child. I recommend that children not walk to school unless an adult can be with the child. If the parents cannot walk them, perhaps, a grandparent or a retired neighbor, another stay at home parent, etc. could walk them to school.

Once school begin, if there is a routine in place, it can be changed to consider “quality time” in the evening as well as the time parents will set aside to help the student with homework or any school concerns the student might have.

Please remember that these are my recommendations and I recognize that as a family there may already be a regular routine in place. Children adjust better to returning to school when parents explain their expectations and then follow the expectations with consistency. Feel free to contact me about this article at DebraVinsonSchoolBoard2012@comcast.net.

Debra Vinson

Candidate for Antioch School Board Trustee