CHAIRPERSON REPORT:
Chairperson Lorrie Davis reported that the CVHS charter will serve special ed students.
Special ed director Mildred Browne said teachers must notify the charter and the district if they want to stay with the charter. If not, they have to apply for a position, she said.
Davis said the charter hasn’t yet finalized its plans with the El Dorado SELPA.
Browne said the El Dorado SELPA won’t decide which schools to take on until March. CVHS may also contract with the county SELPA, she said.
A parent said a union rep at the school said that seven special ed employees were going to be laid-off, but that was not corroborated.

Felicia Stuckey-Smith said her office was sending out two mailings to students in the CVHS attendance area: one for all 1,800 students and one for special ed and section 504 students. Browne offered to give the letters to the CAC blog committee so they could post them.

Davis also announced that MaryAnne Talbot is leaving March 2, so this is her last CAC meeting. Davis and vice-chairwoman Dorothy Weisenberger praised Talbott’s service to the special ed community.

CELEBRATION OF SUCCESS UPDATE:
Parent liaison Hilary Shen said the “You make a difference” awards ceremony is coming up March 28. It celebrates community members, staff, parents, teachers or other students who aren’t in special ed who have gone out of their way to support children with special needs. She has nomination forms.
Past award-winners include the Walnut Festival, Buddy Play, teachers, office staff, behaviorists, students, a bus driver and a custodian.

ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT REPORT:
Browne reported that outside counsel Matt Juhl-Darlington wrote a summary of opinion regarding reports and opinions for children with disabilities as they relate to report cards and transcripts.

She passed out a list of Legislative bills currently proposed in the state that may be of interest.
Brown also announced that parent reps would be attending two conferences.

She invited parents to participate in the legislative advocacy day May 2 in Sacramento, when they can meet with legislators regarding issues they’re concerned about. She also mentioned that Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla is cosponsoring legislation that could help districts regarding charter schools. (She didn’t mention that the legislation would allow financially strapped districts to deny a charter based on financial impact.) Brown urged CAC members to read over the proposed legislation and decide what they would like to talk about with legislators.

CAHSEE: Brown said it was a shock to learn that the CAHSEE exemption for special ed students ends June 30. Some districts have been piloting an alternative that has been determined to be too difficult, she said. So, Brown said there either needs to be emergency legislation to extend the exemption or else special ed and section 504 students will have to pass the CAHSEE to graduate.

MOE: Brown said the state did not make its Maintenance of Effort requirement, which could cost about $8.6 million in federal funding. She said it’s still unclear how the state is going to make up for it. Special education in the state of did not spend what they needed to in order to meet their Maintenance of Effort, she said. So that will impact the amount of federal funds the state gets, she added. So, she said, the question is: Will that be passed onto school districts as far as a deficit of some kind?

Mandated reporting: Brown said the governor’s budget would eliminate all mandated reporting, which could impact incident reports related to the Hughes bill. These involve incidents where a student has to be restrained, she said. “Will we no longer document that? Will we no longer be able to do restraints?” she asked. She said the Hughes bill would be repealed, if the Legislature approves the governor’s plan.

Transportation: Brown said that funding for special education transportation is also proposed to be eliminated in the governor’s budget. If the Legislature approves this, it would increase the general education contribution to special education to pay for federally mandated transportation for district students.

BOARD OF EDUCATION REPORT:
Trustee Lynne Dennler reported on the Monday board meeting and Trustee Gary Eberhart mentioned the governance workshop and upcoming strategic planning meeting on Feb. 22, along with the CVHS charter waiver vote.

Board of Education Comments: Parent Vi Ibarra reported on recent board meetings she had attended.

Parent Advisory committee Report: Parent Tricia Tamura-Li said the PAC discussed EL Master plan. She urged parents to submit comments or concerns by Friday. Browne said there is not much in it for special ed.
Tamura-Li said the number of parents participating in the PAC is dropping and that most parents were from CPHS or Sequoia MS.

Budget Advisory committee Report: Parent Tricia Tamura-Li said the meeting got postponed to March 14. This committee is also looking for new members, she said. Members are wondering about their roles in their advisory capacity.

Equity Advisory Committee: Parent Dorothy Weisenberger reported that the next meeting is Feb. 28. She expressed concerns that the draft strategic plan doesn’t appear to include anything about equity.

EL Master Plan Task Force: Parent Morena Grimaldi said the draft plan is being presented to the community and the community can comment online. Schools also have hard copies in English and Spanish and some groups have received presentations. After information is gathered, the committee will meet Feb. 23 and in March to discuss it and decide whether or not to incorporate it. The final draft will be sent to the board in May.
She said she has pushed for a few things for special ed specifically, but asked for CAC members’ input.

This was followed by more discussion of the draft strategic plan, a nurse’s report, parent liaison report and subommittee updates. There was no extended school year report because the parent rep was absent.

Public comment: Davis read a letter from a parent who was concerned about bullying at Valle Verde Elementary.

Information/Announcement: A special ed teacher informed the group that Johnny Applegate, a wonderful special ed teacher at MDHS, died last week. Many people asked about memorial services and agreed that he will be greatly missed.

The Clayton Valley Charter High committee is inviting supporters and those interested in the school to a party on Saturday, according to a flyer I received today.

Here’s what it says:

“Please join us!

Clayton Valley Charter High School Approval Celebration

Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012

3-6 p.m. Clayton Valley Gym (1101 Alberta Way, Concord)

The entire community is invited to celebrate the historic approval of the Clayton Valley Charter conversion. Come enjoy food & fun. Charter Board and Committee members will be on hand to answer your questions. The mission of this charter is to unite the community to raise the bar for the education of our children. Refreshments will be sold.

Please join us!

Visit www.claytonvalley.org or email info@claytonvalley.org for more details.”

Here are a few more details from charter board member Alison Bacigalupo:

“We’ll be serving hamburgers or hot dogs, chips and a cookie for $5 with drinks being an additional $1,” she wrote in an email. “Donations will also be gladly accepted!

We hope the whole community can come out and help us celebrate since we couldn’t have done it without them!!”

Do you think the charter will succeed in its mission?

The Mt. Diablo school district’s special education Community Advisory Committee will meet tonight. Since the district doesn’t post the agendas on its website, I am posting it below:

“COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE AGENDA
DATE: February 7, 2012
TIME: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
PLACE: Dent Center – Board Room

1. Call to Order 7:00

2. Introductions (7:02 – 7:05)
Please notify the audience during introductions if you are recording the meeting

3. Adoption of Minutes – January 10, 2012 (7:05 – 7:10)

5. Chairperson’s Report – Lorrie Davis (7:10 – 7:20)

6. Celebration of Success Update- Hilary Shen (7:20 – 7:30)

7. Old Business (7:30 – 7:50)

7.1 Assistant Superintendent’s Report – Dr. Mildred D. Browne

7.2 Board of Education Report – Lynne Dennler

7.3 Board of Education Comments – Vi Ibarra

7.4 Parent Advisory Committee Report – Tricia Tamura-Li

7.5 Budget Advisory Committee Report – Tricia Tamura-Li

7.6 Equity Advisory Team Report – Dorothy Weisenberger

7.7 EL Master Plan Task Force – Morena Grimaldi

NETWORKING BREAK

8. New Business (8:00 – 8:35)

8.1 Strategic Plan – Lorrie/Mildred

8.2 Nurses’ Report – Arlene Matteucci-Para

8.3 Extended School Year – Carolyn Patton

8.4 Parent Liaison – Hilary Shen

8.5 Sub-Committee Updates

9. Public Comment (8:35 – 8:45)
Public comment is an opportunity to share concerns and comments with the CAC. In the interest of time, speakers are limited to three (3) minutes each with a total of fifteen (15) minutes for all speakers. Please respect student and personnel privacy. CAC members and district staff may not be able to respond to individual concerns in this forum, but will take your contact information and follow-up with you.

10. Information Items/Announcements/Adjournment (8:45 – 9:00)

DON’T FORGET – - BRING A FRIEND TO THE MEETING!!”

Do you think the district does a good job of letting the community know about these meetings?

Board President Sherry Whitmarsh reported that trustees discussed litigation, negotiations and the readmission of one student during closes session.  She said the board did not discuss the general counsel’s evaluation or the superintendent’s evaluation, but they hope to go back into closed session at end of tonight’s meeting.

Consent calendar

District resident John Parker objected to the contract amount of item 9.,11, saying it was excessive. Trustee Gary Eberhart pulled this from the consent calendar and Trustee Cheryl Hansen pulled item 9.2, the minutes of the Jan. 23 meeting.

Trustees approved other consent items.

9.11 Mitchell Stark talked about the scope of the Ygnacio Valley High gym project. Said additional info could be brought back. Superintendent Steven Lawrence suggested not to exceed contract. Motion for contract with Hamm and Associates not to exceed $20,522 if it goes to DSA and commensurate reduction in fees if it doesn’t. Carries 5-0.
Video clips of meeting are streaming live at www.qwik.com.

9.2 Hansen asked that minutes be more comprehensive. Eberhart said it would need to be brought back as an agenda item.

Public comment:

1. John Parker: moment of silence for former teacher Johnny Applegate, who passed away.

Several students, teachers and a parent addressed vote of no confidence in MDHS Principal Kate McClatchy.

District Organizations: A classified union rep asked district to restore the hours that were cut, in light of the district’s reserve of $38 million above what is required.

Superintendent’s Report:
Superintendent Steven Lawrence reported that another bond refunding will come at the next meeting and that more 2010 Measure C bonds may be sold. He also reported that the board would likely hold a special meeting Feb. 21 or Feb. 22 to act on a waiver for the Clayton Valley HS charter’s financial impact. Whitmarsh reminded Lawrence the board plans a Strategic Planning session Feb. 22 and he suggested that both meetings could be held on the same evening.
Lawrence also pointed out that MDEA President Mike Langley will retire at the end of the school year and commended him for his service.

14.1 Walnut Creek Sister Cities International Program: unanimously approved

14.2 New board policy – Transitional Kindergarten: unanimously approved

14.3 Revision to Administrative Rule 5111 – Admission: unanimously approved

14.4 Resolution determining district needs for 2012-13 and adopting criteria for determining order of seniority for those certificated employees with the same date of first paid probationary services. Unanimously approved.

14.5 Williams QAuarterly Summary Report.
No complaints filed.
Unanimously passed.

14.6 Clayton Valley HS attendance area
Unanimously approved as presented.

14.7 Public Input and Informational Meetings for Board and Superintendent
Board unanimously agreed to hold one meeting at each of the district high schools and in Bay Point by May 15.

14.8 School calendar
Unanimously passed.

14.9 Gifts and Bequests – Trustees agreed with policy change. It will be brought back for a vote.

14.10 Progress Report: Trustees agreed with idea. It will be brought back for a vote.

14.l1 Graduation requirements: Trustees had a lengthy conversation about this item, which was raised by Hansen. Lawrence said district saved $1.1 million with lower grad requirements and elimination of summer school. Hansen said she is hearing horror stories about the impacts and wants more discussion in the future. Trustees agreed to discuss again in March, after staff gathers more information.

Trustees reported on their recent activities, then meeting was adjourned in memory of Applegate.

FEB. 7 UPDATE: Here is a link to the audio recording of the meeting: http://www.mdusd.org/boe/Documents/audio/2012/February%206%202012%20-%20amplified.mp3

During public comment, Walnut Creek parent Linda Loza urged the board to adopt the accountability progress reports — or at least second the motion so trustees can discuss the idea on Monday.

Facilitator outlined CSBA effective governance system:

“I, the trustee – individual’s attitude:

I keep learning and achievement for all students as the primary focus.

I value, support and advocate for public education

I respect differences of perspective and style on the board and among staff, studenrs, parents and the community.

I understand that manner and behavior make a difference.

I keep confidential information confidential.

I commit the time and energy necessary to be an informed and effective leader.

I understand the role and responsibilities of the board.

I understand that authority rests with the board as a whole.

I work hard to build and sustain an effective governance team.”

Video is at www.qik.com\tharrington.

Trustees and superintendent are introducing themselves to each other.

Trustees together have 147 years of direct experience with district and Superintendent Steven Lawrence has 24 years of education experience. Trustees have more experience in community and Lawrence brings “fresh eyes.”

Facilitator told trustees they are elected to represent the people. Employees have accountability. She asked how trustees are held accountable.

Board President Sherry Whitmarsh said that happens at election time.

Facilitator said respect includes body language, the way we talk, tone, incorporating other peoples ideas into what we say, and identifying common ground. She stressed the importance of Keeping remarks brief and to the point.

Trustees shared why they ran for elected office:

Whitmarsh: To ensure that our students have the best education possible using the resources available.

Trustee Linday Mayo: To bring a parent voice or parent perspective to the board table and to honor the work that administration, classified and certificated staff do in the district.

Trustee Cheryl Hansen: To ensure that student learning is the primary focus and to ensure that the community has a real voice in guiding ouw work around student learning.

Lawrence agreed with what others said.

Trustee Gary Eberhart agrees with others and said he wants to motivate students to be there because he didn’t feel that he got that when he was a student in the district.

Trustee Lynne Dennler said that as a teacher in the district, she had always felt that things were very top-down. “I really want to make sure that the voices of the staff are heard. I really enjoyed teaching and wanted to offer my students the best education possible and I want to be sure we continue to do that and not get distracted with fads.”

Trustees shared their greatest wishes for the future:

Eberhart: To help students achieve goals.

Dennler: See that students have a balanced education, including arts and sports, to educate the whole person.

Lawrence: That the state of California makes education a funding priority that is competitive with the national average and creates a plan to get us there.

Hansen: I’d like to talk about what is possible rather than what we don’t have, to improve morale. Focus on what is possible in terms of enhancing resources and focus on the public to help us. Mt. Diablo should not be seen as a victim.

The facilitator admonished Hansen not to editorialize and said it is important for school boards to advocate for more money.

Mayo: Include families and staff around the importance of the work. Stop the blame game that a particular school or district can’t achieve and support programs districtwide. I feel like we’ve lost a sense of family. I undertstand that there are factors. MDUSD does great work, even though we have schools that are high-performing and low-performing.

Whitmarsh: That we would attract and retain highly-qualified staff in all areas.

Dennler: Added that district and staff should embrace changes necessary for students and staff as we move into the future.

After a break, trustees talked about the work of a school board.

Eberhart said it brings the concerns of citizens to the act of governance. But the facilitator pointed out that citizens aren’t all in agreement. They agreed that work is complicated by the structures above the district at a state and local level.

Facilitator said the public has the right to believe that the work is happening at the board table. “Make sure you do you work in the public’s eye,” she said.

Mayo said it’s important to carry integrity from the campaign into the board.

Dennler said she didn’t initially view the board as a team.

Facilitator: Your authority is as a body. She joked that trustees could have a bumper sticker that says: “Board members do it in public.”

She said individual board members do not have authority to fix problems. She said trustees should not step out of their roles and are not represented by legal counsel as individuals.

11:10 a.m. I have to leave and will not be able to cover the rest of the meeting. However, the facilitator said she would write up a draft plan based on the feedback from the board, which she is writing on large sheets of paper.

I invite anyone else who attended the meeting to comment on what else happened.

FEB. 6 UPDATE: Here are video clips of the portion of the meeting I attended.

Facilitator explains the role of the board: http://qik.com/video/47874482 (A portion of this is dark because I thought I had turned off the recording, but it was still going.)

CSBA Governance brochure: http://qik.com/video/47874658

Facilitator explains what the workshop will include: http://qik.com/video/47874726

Facilitator talks to trustees about stakeholders and tells them the public has the right to believe that the board is doing its work at the board table: http://qik.com/video/47876300

Trustees introduce themselves to each other, telling about their experience in the district, in education and something the others may not know about them: http://qik.com/video/47874863

Trustees tell each other why they wanted to serve on the board: http://qik.com/video/47875302

Next, trustees talked about their greatest hopes and wishes. Unforunately, I didn’t get Eberhart’s comments on video. Here’s video of Dennler and Lawrence stating their hopes and wishes: http://youtu.be/xrAqguL_Vv0

Trustees Cheryl Hansen and Linda Mayo share their greatest wishes, followed by Board President Sherry Whitmarsh: http://youtu.be/Rns8t_jUYXs. The facilitator asks Hansen not to editorialize, then says she will editorialize.

Trustee Lynne Dennler adds that she would like the district to embrace the changes necessary for students and staff in the future (ie technology): http://youtu.be/Oaysc_gHJgY

After a majority of teachers at Mt. Diablo High voted No Confidence in Principal Kate McClatchy last month, the district responded by allowing teachers to express their concerns in small groups at the school.

Teacher Dan Reynolds, a teacher’s union rep for the site, said district administrators compiled these concerns into five major areas: leadership, facilities, discipline, professional development and McClatchy’s proposed plan to convert the school to an “all academy” model, which would require every student to choose one of four areas of intense study.

The academies expected to be “scaled up” are the Architecture, Construction, Manufacturing and Engineering academy; Digital Safari Multimedia and Computer science academy; International Hospitality and Tourism Academy; and Medical Bio-Technology Academy.

Teachers broke into groups Monday and listened to administrators present draft plans regarding the areas of concern, then gave feedback, Reynolds said.

“On the whole, many of us came away feeling like it was shallow and they already had a plan and they were showing us a piece of it and they weren’t relay listening,” he said. “The reason is that they take people’s suggestions and then say, ‘We will come back to you when we make a decision about what’s going to happen. Students, parents and teachers haven’t really been involved in the decision-making.”

Reynolds said McClatchy presented a plan regarding the all-academy model on Wednesday and asked teachers to vote on one of two options: convert to an all-academy school in 2012-13 or in 2013-14.

“Those were the only two choices,” Reynolds said. “It was like saying, ‘You can have any flavor of ice cream you want as long as it’s chocolate or vanilla.’”

But teachers refused to accept those narrow options and didn’t vote, he said. Some teachers will likely speak about their concerns at next Monday’s board meeting, he added.

“We are looking at next steps,” he said. “Its important for parents to be involved in our decisions as we move forward.”

I spoke to Pat Ainsworth, assistant superintendent for secondary education in the California Department of Education, about the all-academy model last week. He said academies nationwide have been proven to raise test scores and student engagement, but pointed out that schools have other options.

“The teachers that are typically in these academies throughout the state have opted into them,” he said.

Since academies require groups of students to take several courses together around a theme, they have fewer options for other courses, he said.

“That may put some pressure on the master schedule,” he said. “We do know there are schools that are using or have gone to a career-themed pathways, that may not be academies.”

An academy, he said, is a school within a school. Groups of students are assigned to specific teachers and they move through their courses in a very sequenced way from 10th through 12th grade, he said.

“A career pathway model may not be as rigid,” he said. “A school may have four or five pathways.”

In this model, students could opt to take courses in a variety of career areas, instead of just one. This would allow students to create individualized programs, Ainsworth said.

Do you agree with the school’s plan to convert to an all-academy model?

The public can get a rare glimpse of Mt. Diablo district trustees talking with each other less formally than usual during a board Governance Leadership Development Workshop at 9 a.m. Saturday in the district office board room at 1936 Carlotta Drive in Concord.

Although the posted agenda gives virtually no information about the meeting, a more comprehensive overview can be found under Item 16.11 of the board’s Dec. 13 agenda.

Here’s what it said:

“In a continued effort to improve Board governance skills, we are requesting to hold a Governance Leadership Development Workshop on Saturday, February 4 at 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Attached is the overview of the training.”

Here is the link to the planned California School Boards Association training outline: http://esb.mdusd.k12.ca.us/attachments/ebaef8f1-2b2b-4b29-9c7e-3dd819088b7d.pdf.

When the board discussed the workshop in December, Trustee Cheryl Hansen voted against spending $2,000 for a facilitator. Other trustees, however, voted in favor of the expenditure.

I videotaped most of the discussion using my cell phone, then had to switch to my Flip Video camera when I ran out of storage space.
Here is a link to the first portion of the discussion: http://qik.com/video/46579073.

Here is the second portion of the discussion, including comments by trustees Gary Eberhart and Cheryl Hansen, followed by the 4-1 vote: http://youtu.be/PkUKA0szzr0

Do you agree with the board’s decision to spend $2,000 for a facilitated governance workshop?

Teachers or after-school program providers who would like to learn how to teach about nonviolence and conflict resolution are invited to attend a “Creating a Peaceful School” conference Saturday at Acalanes High in Lafayette. The deadline to register is today.

Here is more information about the program, from a news release:

“What: Creating a Peaceful School Conference
When: Saturday, February 4, 2012 from 8:00 to 3:00
Where: Acalanes High School, 1200 Pleasant Hill Road, Lafayette, CA 94549

The Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center in Walnut Creek is sponsoring an innovative and inspiring all-day conference for anyone who works with young people in middle and high school: Teachers, Administrators, Classroom aides, School personnel, After-school program providers. Participants will learn to create peace in their world, in the lives of your students, in the classroom, the school and the community.

Rep. George Miller (D-CA 7)will start the program with an inspiring welcome to teachers about the importance of their work. Professor Ian Harris will give a keynote speech about peaceful classrooms.

Workshops and classes will cover a variety of topics:

The Brain Science of Fear and Anger
Gandhian Nonviolence Curriculum
High School Peace and Conflict Studies curriculum
Journaling for Peace and Human Rights
Worldview Literacy
Peer Mediation/Conflict Resolution
Creating Watercolor Imagery around words of Peace
Yoga for teacher relaxation
HeartMath for Resilient Educators and Youth

Registration is $35 through February 2, 2012. Pre-registration is required.

Delicious boxed lunch from Sunrise Bistro is included, with many choices to suit you.

Five instructional hrs. (.5 CEU) of Continuing Education available from St. Mary’s College for an additional $25. Forms will be available at the conference.

Renew yourself for the Spring Semester, meet colleagues and network with other educators.

The Conference is being organized and planned by:

Ian Harris – retired Professor, author Peace Education and Peacebuilding for Adolescents
Dan Reynolds – teacher of the year for Mt. Diablo Unified School District
John Marvin – retired teacher, Pleasant Hill Middle School
Lorin Peters – retired teacher, Bishop O’Dowd High School, Gandhian Nonviolence, 39 years
Jill Johnson – teacher, Freedom High School Peace and Conflict Studies, 17 years
Chris Giotta – teacher, Walnut Creek Intermediate Art
Marti Roach – Facilitator & Trainer
Mary Alice O’Connor – Executive Director of the Mt. Diablo Peace & Justice Center

Full descriptions of sessions and registration information at http://www.mtdpc.org.

Mt. Diablo Peace & Justice Center
55 Eckley Lane, Walnut Creek, California 94596
(925) 933-7850 www.mtdpc.org

Mt. Diablo Peace & Justice Center was founded in 1969 and is your local voice for peace. Volunteers and contributions are welcomed.
It is a tax deductible 501(c)(3) organization”

The conference will provide teachers with tools they can use in their classrooms, as well as personal experiences that may help them to communicate messages of peace and nonviolence, O’Connor said.

“I’m hoping the experience of being there will imbue their souls with peace and kindness that a nonviolent atmosphere brings,” she said. “Maybe the experience of being there will be transformative in some way. It’s really possible.”

O’Connor said this is the first such conference the Peace Center has hosted. But, if it’s successful, there could be more in the future — or possibly even a Peace Camp for teens.

“My goal and vision is always to make a tangible result in the community,” she said. “When I first took this job, I thought, ‘What would it be like if people woke up and said, ‘I can feel peace in the air?’ And that’s how I feel about schools. Is there something we can create so that a school will be different? It’s that little bit of peace. It’s like that first drop of rain that brings the storm.”

Do you think it’s possible to create peaceful schools?

The Mt. Diablo school district’s Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Council will meet tonight. Since the district doesn’t post the agenda online, I am posting it below:

“SUPERINTENDENT’S PARENT ADVISORY COUNCIL

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 7:00 p.m.
Board Room, MDUSD Dent Center

Welcome and Introductions

English Learner Master Plan

Strategic Plan

Budget”

This meeting is open to the public. I have heard that the English Learner Master Plan presentation will be the same Powerpoint that was presented at the Jan. 23 board meeting.

In the past, the PAC agenda has included other questions at the end. This agenda, on the other hand, does not seem to invite members to bring up anything that isn’t already on the agenda.

Note that the Contra Costa County Board of Education plans to discuss the CVCHS MOU at 6 p.m. tonight at the County Office of Education.

Do you think the district should include Public Comment in its Parent Advisory Council meetings?

FEB. 3 UPDATE: Here is a link to the Budget PowerPoint presented by the superintendent: http://www.mdusd.org/NewsRoom/Documents/pac-presentation-02-01-2012.pdf

At the Jan. 23 Mt. Diablo school board meeting, Superintendent Steven Lawrence explained the district’s process for responding to a vote of No Confidence in Mt. Diablo High School Principal Kate McClatchy.

First, he said the district could not discuss the job performance of any specific employee. Unfortunately, I was unable to videotape that portion of his comments.

However, I did videotape his comments regarding the process for addressing the concerns raised by teachers who voted No Confidence in McClatchy last month, as well as the other public comments made at the meeting.

Below is a summary of those comments, along with links to the video clips.

Lawrence said that teachers will break into groups on Monday, Jan. 30 to hear plans for dealing with five major concerns that have been brought up. Teachers will be able to respond to the plans and district staff will follow-up in the spring to be sure the plans are being implemented, he said.

Following Lawrence’s remarks, teachers’ union president Mike Langely made the following statement:

“President Whitmarsh, Members of the Board, Superintendent Lawrence,Council, community members:

The layers of difficulties at Mt. Diablo High School must be addressed by the board and the district administration. We acknowledge that bringing this to a public forum is a positive step in meeting the needs of all stakeholders. We understand that this not be done in haste.

The difficulties have not suddenly occurred. The vote by the faculty of Mt Diablo High was not an isolated incident triggered by a single event. Solutions will be best found by a thoughtful review and a meaningful plan to remedy the underlying conflicts and dysfunctions.

We have been told that the board will not rush to judgment simply because the faculty went public with their frustration. We support your caution. However, if the board and administration circle wagons and say they can’t appear to bow to the vocal majority, even if action is warranted, we will withdraw support for the process. Staying the course because a change would admit to past errors is not only foolish but is destructive to the process of education at any school heading toward the shoal waters of conflict.

One last concern; as the discovery process moves forward with deliberation, current site policies and changes that may impair vital programs may continue. It is imperative that site administration be directed to postpone the massive restructuring until all consequences, intended and unintended, are identified and evaluated as to their effect on the most important stakeholders: the students.”

Video of Lawrence and Langley: http://youtu.be/EGrmLstwmLY

District resident Brian Lawrence, who ran for the school board and lost in the last election, calls the potential loss of Quality Education Investment Act funding at Mt. Diablo High an “unmitigated disaster” and a “colossal failure.” He asked several questions about the failure of the school administration to comply with class size requirements in order to keep its grant of about $1.5 million a year, including the responsibility of the board, superintendent and principal.

Video: http://youtu.be/pJfeemz-YaA

District resident Willie Mims also spoke about the possible loss of QEIA funds, as well as low morale at Mt. Diablo High. Video: http://youtu.be/uDLVG4J1bbg

English teacher Stephanie Sliwinski, who teaches in the ACME academy, talks about concerns teachers have regarding McClatchy’s plan to require every student to enroll in one of four academies. Video: http://youtu.be/CF5EFjxymFA

Mt. Diablo High senior Savannah Ridgley tells board that the all-academy model negatively impacted AP students and the FAME (performing arts) academy. She also complains about locked bathrooms, missing toilet paper and soap, and punishment of the entire student body for the actions of a few. Video: http://youtu.be/WFi6PcXwK4g

Staff member Wendy Spencer says employees who ask questions about the plan to become an all-academy model have been told they are “toxic” and shut down. Video: http://youtu.be/uswn6b0BmqY

AP Environmental science teacher Patrick Oliver says McClatchy refused to master schedule for the QEIA grant. Video: http://youtu.be/iY9gXw4MZuI

Science teacher Colin Jones says the loss of QEIA funding would be devastating to the school because it would mean about 22 teachers would be laid-off and class sizes would increase. Video: http://youtu.be/VSkydMgvXuM

Woodshop teacher Steve Seaman talks about safety concerns related to the scale-up of academies at MDHS. Video: http://youtu.be/427Jz9DXXfs

Trustee Gary Eberhart said he has high hopes for the process of responding to the vote of No Confidence. He said he did not believe the school’s conversion to an all-charter model had been brought before the board.

“Trying to make a wholesale change like this would be difficult to make if everyone were on the same page,” he said. “A change of this magnitude it would seem to me would be impossible to successfully implement unless you have a staff that is in unity.”

Unfortunately, I didn’t get video of Eberhart’s comments. Next, Board President Sherry Whitmarsh clarified that the plans would be drafts, subject to input from teachers. Video: http://youtu.be/Y5nEsR7lg8k

JAN. 30 UPDATE: I just spoke to Janet Haun, who oversees ROP classes for the Contra Costa County Office of Education, regarding the MDHS plan to become a wall-to-wall academy. She said she is working with the school to ensure that ROP classes will be integral to the plan.

“Our goal is to have them as the capstones in every academy,” she said. “A capstone is sort of the culminating class for a high school student.”

Haun said the county currently operates ROP classes in the
biotech, IHTA and biotech academies, but not in the Digital Safari academy.

She said she was not aware of any other neighborhood high school in the county that has converted to an all-academy model. Dozier Libby Medical HS in Antioch is a magnet academy high school, which requires students to apply to attend, she said. It was recently named a California Distinguished School.

Haun said the Antioch district and WCCUSD have multiple academies at each high school, but haven’t gone all-academy.

She said she personally hasn’t heard of any dissatisfaction with the MDHS plan to convert to an all-academy model, but she primarily works with ROP teachers, who are happy to be a part of an academy.

“I don’t know their opinion of wall-to-wall,” she said.

I also asked about ROP classes at the CVHS charter. She said the county would continue to offer those classes on the campus.

“It’s part of the document that the Board of Education approved that the students at Clayton Valley HS are entitled to the same types of services and educational programs as any students in public schools,” Haun said. “So, we plan to maintain the ROP programs that we have there.”

Do you think Mt. Diablo High school should convert to all academies in the fall?