Charter Supporters Encouraged by MDUSD Board Flexibility

More than 100 people gathered in the multi-use room Wednesday night to rally support for the school's charter conversion.

The news they heard made many leave the event feeling optimistic.

Charter supporters announced they met with Mt. Diablo Unified School District staff Wednesday and left with an assurance that the deadline for compliance with the  would be moved from February 2012 to late this coming October.

Charter proponents had been worried that if they were rejected by the board in February 2012, they wouldn't have time to appeal the decision to the Contra Costa Office of Education and still open the charter school for the 2012-13 school year.

Charter supporters are aiming to get on the Oct. 25 MDUSD board's agenda, where they hope to show they have met the board's conditions and be granted full charter approval.

"We met with district administration in good faith and I was encouraged," charter lawyer Paul Minney said. "There is some process and procedure we have to comply with to meet their conditions by the 25th of October."

Charter steering committee co-chair Pat Middendorf said she was concerned going into Wednesday's meeting with district staff that the February deadline was simply a political tactic to derail the charter effort.

But in the meeting, district staff quickly indicated that they were willing to move the conditions date from February to this October, which Middendorf took as a sign that the district was sincerely trying to work with them.

"I've had a little bit of a change in heart on this," Middendorf said. "It's in everybody's best interest if we make it work with the district and we will come to the Oct. 25 meeting fully prepared to have our charter approved."

Also at the Wednesday rally, surprising some in the room, was MDUSD Superintendent Gary Eberhart, who has been publicly critical of the charter effort. He said he came to hear more from the community on the charter, which will help make decisions about the issue.

Eberhart said he had yet to be briefed on the conditions date change from February to October.

"It is imperative we that we work together," Eberhart said. "Our elementary schools and middle schools will feed into Clayton Valley Charter High School. We need cooperation in ensure student success."

Most of the attendees at the meeting, which featured a PowerPoint presentation about the charter and a Q&A session, were parents and teachers. But a handful of students attended.

"I think that the students who know about the charter are in favor of it, but for a lot of students it's not something they are thinking about right now," said , a Clayton Valley senior. "I think students will have an improved education because there will be more AP and honors classes offered and variety of other things that will make the quality of the school better."