On Wednesday, the Antioch Unified School District will hold two public hearings by the East Bay Tech Academy to open both a middle School and a high school in the City of Antioch.
In both cases, the East Bay Tech Academy are seeking a five-year term commencing July 1, 2019. As part of the charter petition process, the Education Code requires that a public hearing be held within 30 days from the Board’s receipt so that the Board may consider the level of support for the petition by teachers and other employees of the District and parents.
The public hearing is an information item only and the determination of whether the Board will approve or deny the charter petition will be agendized for action at the May 9, 2018, meeting unless that decision date is extended by mutual agreement of the parties.
The lead petitioner is Megan Moilanen from Clayton Valley Charter High School in Concord. The co-lead petitioner is Bill Morones, former Superintendent at Gustine Unified School District. Current Clayton Valley Charter High School Executive Director David Linzey is listed as a ‘Senior Advisor’ in the proposal.
On Monday, the Antioch Chamber of Commerce issued a statement saying they support the request by the East Bay tech Academy:
The East Bay Tech Academy has officially submitted a request to the Antioch Unified School District for a public charter Middle and High School. The Antioch Chamber of Commerce understands that Charters can be adopted at the District, County or State level.
The Chamber endorses and supports the adoption of this East Bay Tech Academy charter at the AUSD School District level to ensure local oversight and funding at the district level. The business community respects our current teachers, students and administrators in AUSD and we continue to support AUSD efforts for continuing dramatic academic improvement within the existing AUSD schools such as the existing pathway academies.
The Antioch Chamber of Commerce continues to build and support the current wide range of efforts to generate high academic achievement and critical skills that result in employable graduates who can pursue the goals for their futures.
The Antioch Chamber of Commerce also supports individual choices in all aspects of our community, including education choices.
According to Richard Pagano, CEO of the Chamber, the Chamber’s Government Affairs committee provided background and insight to the Chamber’s Board of Directors. The Government Affairs committee consists of Chamber CEO Richard Pagano, Terry Ramus and Matthew Hart.
“It was the decision of the Chamber’s Board of Directors to support the adoption of the East Bay Tech Academy,” said Pagano.
The Board of Directors include:
- Jennifer Victor – Board Chair (Travis Credit Union)
- Donna McGee – Chair Elect (Kaiser Permanente)
- Clifton Mbanugo – Director (Clifton Creative Web)
- Julie Neward – Director (Somersville Towne Center)
- Ana Cosovic – Director (Service Pros Plumbers)
- Terry Ramus – Director (Diablo Analytical, Inc)
- Rodney Lal – Director (Prime Vintage Realty)
- Jennifer Grant – Director (Markstein Sales Company)
- Brian Ballante – Director (Auto Diagnostic and Repair)
- Rich McDaniel – Director (McDaniel Financial Services)
- Viera Knowles – Director (Dow)
- Susie Martinez – Director (PG&E)
- Mike McGill – Director (McGill & Associates)
Pagano added while the Chamber did vote to support the Charter Schools petition, he did say not all members were present to vote. He did not provide the actual vote tally of who voted and who was present.
For those interested, the March 14 public hearing is held at Antioch Unified School District Office Board Room, 510 G Street, Antioch. It will start at 7 p.m.
5 comments
The schools in Antioch are failing. Continuing with the status quo is unacceptable. There is a need for paradigm shift from our School Board focusing on the demands of the teacher union and turn their focus and concern to the educational performance of their school district. The model for the public charters is based on the Clayton Valley Charter School in Clayton. The school has won awards and is acknowledged as one of the best in improving student academic and behavioral performance in the state as well as the country. Let’s join together to support improved educational opportunities for the students in the East Bay and for our local economy.
Clayton Valley Charter High School is located in Concord not Clayton.
Obviously you have no clue what the Antioch Education Association does. We advocate for the STUDENTS and TEACHERS of AUSD. We fight for lower class size; more computer time for students; time for teacher’s to collaborate on lessons; more counselors for students; money for teacher training; classroom supplies; and so much more to benefit our students.
And yes, we also advocate for benefits and salary. Do our teachers not deserve a living wage?
As far as CVCHS, find out how much the Executive Director makes. Find out why there has been more than 70% teacher turnover rate. Find out why the entire administrative staff has left. Find out what happens to those students that are not going to graduate. And yes, CVCHS teachers are amazing. They are the ones that have made that school what it is today. And they are in a teacher’s union!
Round Two for Mr. Lindsay and company trying to gain approval for this proposed tech academy. He did not gain the needed approval from the Pittsburg and Mt. Diablo School Districts previously. Now, he preys upon the less
affluent Antioch. Be careful what you wish for! Please ask lots of questions and do some background research on the petitioners and the proposed school administration. The current CVCHS school administration seems only interested in there own political aspirations and personal economic gains. How can a current CVCHS board member live in Oregon and maintain their board position and properly seve their community? Whom will serve on the new charter school boards? Who will be teaching your children? I highly doubt that the teachers and administration at Clayton Valley will leave their current positions to work at these new schools. These are the types of questions you should be asking? Please do your due dillegence!
I am a strong supporter of the East Bay Tech Academy Charter applications for a high performing Middle School and High School. Antioch residents deserve local schools to which they would choose to send their children. Parents are already exercising their choice for better education alternatives by home schooling their children, enrolling them in private education, and transferring their children to schools in neighboring cities, placing a time and often a financial burden on families. This is evident by the declining enrollment in the AUSD in the face of a marked increase in the population of school aged children.
As a longtime resident, I have sadly seen many great families with school aged children move out of town primarily to get their children into higher performing school districts. The current state of our schools is also a deterrent to Antioch attracting new residents and businesses who want good schools for their employees. Ask any Realtor how important schools are to anyone who is looking to relocate.
The nationally recognized model for the East Bay Tech Academies has taken Clayton Valley High School from a poor performing school to one of the best in the state. 52% of their students were proficient in Math in 2016 versus only 15% at Antioch High School and 32% at Deer Valley High School. Which school would you choose to send your children to if you had a choice? The opponents of these schools never argue on the performance numbers because the facts are indisputable.
I am a strong supporter of all public schools. The proposed East Bay Tech Academies are free public charter schools. As I support this choice for Antioch, I and all the supporters of this effort also support improvement at our current AUSD schools. In the meantime, we need high performing schools now so that our current students have the choices they deserve.
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