Home Antioch AUSD: Dozier-Libbey Charter Petition to be Heard March 19

AUSD: Dozier-Libbey Charter Petition to be Heard March 19

by ECT

Antioch School Foundation

On March 19, the Antioch Unified School District will debate a petition by teachers at Dozier Libbey Medical High School to change the school from a public school to a charter.

The petition moved forward after 23 of the schools 26 teachers (88%) signed a petition. 23 Dozier-Libbey staff members have submitted a petition to become a conversion charter independent of the Antioch Unified School District. If the AUSD decides against granting the school its wish, Dozier Libbey could then potential petition the County and the State.

Both sides are now becoming aggressive in getting their messages out to the public while the hearing date gets closer.

The Antioch Unified School District says they were not aware that a petition was coming because the staff at Dozier Libbey met privately behind closed doors and never approached the District with its differences. The District called the petition a complete surprise.

According to a Press Release on Monday by Dozier Libbey proponents it states the following:

Reasons cited for the conversion included, among others, diverging philosophies between the district and site staffs for program implementation at this dynamic health career–themed school. While faculty and staff at this close-knit school serving just over 600 students regret having to part ways with their school district, most are very optimistic about what the future holds for them and the students as a California conversion charter school. None of the teachers were opposed to the charter conversion. Teachers are looking forward to carrying out the original vision of the school that has been clouded by the district’s cumbersome management and decision-making process. The school will continue to offer a rigorous college preparatory curriculum, with a health care career emphasis, that exceeds traditional academic instructions with a focus on mastery learning and in-class supports for struggling students.

Within the Press Release, they also highlighted that the reasons for not electing to stay are largely due to personal and professional considerations. Without exception, DLMHS teachers are in support of the charter conversion.

Dozier Libbey proponents are still working to get their message out using social media and word of mouth messaging after the School District issued a cease-and-desist letter against the petitioners who were using school resources, school logo, and networks to communicate.

Dozier Libbey Parents may attend a Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA) meeting on campus Tuesday night at 7:00 pm while a public forum for all concerned parents and community members has been scheduled for Thursday March 13 at 6 p.m. at the Antioch Community Center, 4703 Lone Tree Way.

In response, the Antioch Unified School District issued a three-page Question & Answer document while also

March 10, 2014

Charter Petition

23 Dozier-Libbey staff members have submitted a petition to become a conversion charter independent of our District. Since the time the petition was submitted, there have been a number of questions from staff and the community about this issue. The following attachment provides an initial overview of questions to date. I hope this information proves helpful in answering questions and concerns you may have related to this petition.

PDF Version of FAQ regarding Charter Conversion

PDF Version of the Public Conversion Charter Petition Submitted to the Antioch Unified School District For the term July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2019

Answers to questions raised about the conversion charter petition filed by 23 teachers at Dozier-Libbey Medical High School.

Q:  Why do some Dozier-Libbey Medical High School (DLMHS) staff want to break away from the District and convert the school into a charter school operated by a corporation?

A.  A small group of staff at DLMHS (“petitioners”) submitted a petition to the District to convert DLMHS to a charter school to be operated by a non-profit corporation.  According to their petition, the petitioners want “to gain autonomy and go back to the original vision of the school’s founding, and continue to build their program as originally intended.” The petition also claims the school’s vision was eroded when the District required Dozier-Libbey to follow Board grading policies applicable to all other District secondary schools.  The petitioners want to eliminate the D grade from their grading system.  Students earning a D for their work receive a grade of F for the course.  District policy requires students to receive the grade they earn and giving a student a grade of F when the student earned a D is an unfair practice.  This policy of not giving students the grade earned is bad for all students and has a disparate impact on certain groups of students served at the school. Additionally, the petitioners propose to require all students to take advanced courses that are not required for graduation at other District secondary schools, but that action may further exclude students interested in the medical curriculum offered at the school.

Q:  Was the District aware of or involved in this charter petition as it was being developed?

A:  No. The staff at DLMHS met privately behind closed doors to write this proposal and gather signatures from staff without the District’s knowledge or involvement. They never approached District leaders to see if their differences could be addressed without moving to a charter. Without any transparency in their process, it came as a complete surprise when it was delivered to the District on February 24, 2014.

Q.  If the conversion charter petition is approved, will Dozier-Libbey still be part of the Antioch Unified School District (AUSD)?

A.  No, the petitioners have filed to become a ‘conversion’ charter school operated by a non-profit corporation separate from the Antioch Unified School District. Additionally, if approved, the District will most likely be required to surrender use of its facility to the corporation.

Q.  If the conversion charter petition is approved, can my son/daughter still participate in AUSD extracurricular activities?

A.  No. Students of the conversion charter school would not be eligible to participate in the District’s athletic teams or other extracurricular activities.

 

Q.  Why did the District require Dozier-Libbey to discontinue its “No D” grading system?

A.  AUSD grading policies require high school students to receive a letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F based on their academic performance. The “No D” grading system was inconsistent with this grading policy applicable to all other District secondary schools.   Based on data compiled over the past three years, the “No D” grading system appears to have unfairly placed DLMHS students at a disadvantage in meeting graduation requirements when compared to students attending other District secondary schools, causing many DLMHS students to disenroll.  The “No D” grading system also appears to foster an environment of exclusion which is inconsistent with the District’s mission of serving ALL students within the Antioch community.

Q:  How does the “No D” grading policy discriminate against poor, African American, English Learner, and special needs students?

A:  The “No D” policy as well as the requirement that all students take certain advanced courses is a selective sorting mechanism that discourages struggling or disadvantaged students from staying at the school. The consequences of their “No D” pass-fail grading system meant that certain groups of students were being institutionally forced out of the school because they were losing credits toward graduation that they could not make up. The figures speak for themselves. The following data relate to students who entered DLMHS in 2009-10 and 2010-11 as 9th grade students. By 2012 and 2013:

♦37% of the student body who started as 9th grade students no longer attended Dozier-Libbey.

  • 30% of students transferred to another AUSD school
  • 7% of students moved to a school outside the District

♦44% of the African American students who started as 9th grade students no longer attended Dozier-Libbey.

♦73% of the English Learner students who started as 9th grade students no longer attended Dozier-Libbey.

  • 60% of those students transferred to another AUSD school
  • 13% of students moved to a school outside the District

♦64% of Special Education students who started as 9th grade students no longer attended Dozier-Libbey.

  • 56% of those students transferred to another AUSD school
  •  8% of students moved to a school outside the District

♦80% of all students with a GPA below 2.0 transferred to other AUSD schools.

Q:  Will the charter school get state funding earmarked this year under the Local Control Funding Formula for serving foster, low income, and limited English students?

A:  Possibly. The charter petition assumes that it will receive its portion of that State allocation. The reality is they will not receive funding for serving the needs of struggling students that their grading policy weeds out.

Q:  It appears the charter application builds in an ongoing annual 3% pay raise for teachers.  Is that what the rest of AUSD teachers will be getting for the next five years?

A: All of their colleagues in other AUSD schools are not guaranteed a pay raise as the District and teachers negotiate pay according to the collective bargaining agreement. Additionally, building in a multi-year raise  is a fiscally unsound business practice as school funding changes are determined by enrollment and, specifically, the number of low income, foster, homeless, and English learners attending the school.

Q:  Is it true that nearly 85% of the staff that petitioned to become a charter are not residents of Antioch?

A.  Yes.

Q:  Did the charter petitioners engage members of the Antioch community prior to petitioning to become a charter?

A.  No. This petition was written by a small number of teachers who met secretly for nearly two years behind closed doors without involving parents, community members, or the District.

Q.  My son/daughter is on the waitlist for Dozier-Libbey next year. Will they be able to attend?

A.  It is unclear at this time whether students currently on the DLMHS wait list will be able to attend the school in the 2014-15 school year.  The petitioners’ submission of the petition to convert DLMHS to a conversion charter school has created some uncertainty as to the future of DLMHS as a school of the Antioch Unified School District. The District’s Board of Education has the sole discretion to first approve or deny the petition.  However, the petitioners may also appeal to the County and State Boards of Education.  The District will honor the waitlist if DLMHS continues as a District school.

Q.  Dozier-Libbey’s Facebook page states that the reason parents have not heard more about Dozier becoming a charter is because, “District employees have been prohibited from using school computers or parent contact lists, which would be the normal means for communicating school matters.” Is this true?

A.  Shortly after the petitioners filed to become a charter, the District received several parent complaints that their children who were attending Dozier were upset that staff members were spending class time talking about the charter petition. Additionally, it is improper for the petitioners to use public funds to make flyers, etc. in order to garner support for their petition. The petitioners are welcome to use their own resources to communicate with the public.

Q:  When will we know if the charter petition is approved or denied?

A:  The District is currently preparing a legal analysis and will present its findings to the AUSD Board of Education at a special Board meeting on March 19, 2014, for approval or denial. This is also the date of the public hearing wherein parents, community members and staff can voice their support or opposition to the charter petition.

Source:
http://www.antioch.k12.ca.us/cms/page_view?d=x&piid=&vpid=1394276448873

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11 comments

Rob Saw Mar 11, 2014 - 6:41 am

The School Board would be stupid to allow the petition to go through. Vote against it.

Julio Mar 11, 2014 - 7:48 am

In the best interest of all I urge the school district to allow the petition to go through. Vote for it.

JimSimmons42 Mar 11, 2014 - 9:25 am

I disagree Julio, as a taxpayer I helped build that school so it should remain with the District.

Julio Mar 11, 2014 - 10:42 am

All the charter schools are Antioch Unified School District schools. Yes, we all helped build that school and others. I wish when people started talking about this kind of thing they knew what they were talking about. They do not opt out of the district. They have less contact with the district and more with the state but they are still DISTRICT schools. The teachers salaries are even less I am told by teachers at our own existing academies.

Buy a Clue Mar 12, 2014 - 8:37 am

Julio, if you think charters are simply money savers with better outcomes, I’ve got a bridge to sell you. Two-fer deal just for you, I’m throwing in the water too!

Pay to play schools are simply the next big scam that hasn’t quite gone mainstream on the radar. At the secondary level they are starting to though. It’s become a massive corporate enterprise with many smaller schools consolidating into larger parent companies. But the outcomes and graduation rates do not improve. It’s purely a money grab, which is always the risk when one opens up the steady guaranteed government cash flow of student loans to private corporations.

Once the check clears for tuition, they could really care less if you drop out tomorrow. It’s not like K-12 where attendance is linked to funding.

Lots and lots of ugly information out there on how these schools exploit people if you just look for it. That doesn’t mean it happens across the board. But charter schools are the slippery slope of moving our society more toward haves and have nots. Just like the completely dummazz idea of moving vital services like fire to the private sector. It will become a situation where people with money will have access while people without don’t.

Thanks, but no thanks.

Taxed Man Mar 12, 2014 - 2:12 pm

What we have now is a situation where people with money have a get to choose where their children will be educated, and those without money do not. A very definite “have / have not” situation. Charter schools and voucher programs help level the playing field.

I suggest “Waiting for Superman” which is available on Netflix and filled with actual people, events, and facts.

No one denies the existence of evidence showing outcomes are improved in some charter schools, particularly Washington DC, NYC, and New Orleans.

But really, what matters most is that all parents, not just the wealthy who can afford private school, are allowed a choice in their children’s education. I have every confidence that given a choice, parents will choose wisely.

Buy a Clue Mar 12, 2014 - 5:25 pm

You missed my point.

Charter schools, as many times as not, are purely in it for the profit. Results are a secondary and not necessarily a vital part of their business plan. On balance, they have NOT surpassed traditional public schools on results. Cherry picking stats serves no purpose here other than to falsely inflate the perception of charters.

In some of the areas you mention(DC in particular) a full 1/3 of the charter schools had to be shut down due to low performance. Problem is they have many times been replaced by new under performing schools. You don’t see that level of under performance in public schools today.

I see charter schools as just the next big corporate scam. As mentioned, at the secondary level it’s already widespread.

Difference is this time it’s easy to see it coming for k-12. You also have issues in areas like Texas where history and science is being rewritten or marginalized in the curriculum to support the teaching of creationism. Sorry, but I’ll keep my separation of church and state, thank you.

Julie Mar 11, 2014 - 12:13 pm

Do we know who the “non-profit corporation” is that will be funding the school? Why would the Antioch school district need to give up that building. We paid for it. It should stay in the district. If they want it, they should have to rent or buy it from the district.

Concerned Antioch resident Mar 11, 2014 - 12:18 pm

I think it’s good that there is at least one school that holds students to a higher standard and should be allowed to do so. Those students that don’t meet the standard have other school options– just like college. There are certain grade requirements to get into colleges like Stanford, U C Berkeley. You don’t have the grades, there’s the option to go to a community college.

Reginald Jamal Brown Mar 11, 2014 - 4:44 pm

I agree with you. There should be at least one school in the district that puts a solid focus on academic achievement. I think it is only fair to the children who do well in class and really want to focus on academic goals, instead of having them attend schools with other kids who could care less and would rather smoke pot and portray the “luk at meh.. yeah boyee!, I’m the king of the jungle” attitude.

Julio Mar 11, 2014 - 8:15 pm

Julie, the building belongs to AUSD, would remain in the district since the charter school IS a part of AUSD as are all of our current charter schools. I think this would be the 4th charter school if RAAMP is allowed to continue.

RJB, I have seen none of that kind of attitude in any of the current charter schools. I don’t know personally about RAAMP so cannot say.

Comments are closed.