Politics & Government

MDUSD Board to Vote Tonight on Clayton Valley Charter Petition

An MDUSD staff report describes flaws in the petition.

By the end of today, Clayton Valley High could be the first public high school approved to covert to a charter school in the Bay Area.

Or not.

It's up to the Mt. Diablo Unified School District board, which meets tonight at Monte Gardens Elementary School. The meeting is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.

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The MDUSD staff report on the charter petition praises the effort of the steering committee, but also outlines concerns about the proposed school's prospects for success. The failings, as outlined in the report:

A. The petition does not present a sound educational system.

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B. Based on financial information supplied, the petitioners are not reasonably likely to implement the program described in the petition.

C. The document does not meet all of the 16 elements required for the a charter petition. Given the petition's challenges, it would be an abrogation of the Board's duty to approve the petition in its current form.

The report also noted this:

Despite the deficiencies in the petition, the facts remain: students, Clayton Valley High School staff, and the Clayton community are demanding a better educational experience.

According to the report, the board has three options:

  1. Grant the petition without conditions.
  2. Approve the petition for three years with conditions, which must be met by Feb. 1, 2012. Should the petitioners fail to meet the conditions by the deadline, the charter petition's conditional approval will be voided.
  3. Deny the petition and develop and implement an improvement plan for Clayton Valley High.

If the board rejects the petition, the decision is expected to be appealed to the Contra Costa County Office of Education.

You can read the full staff board docket information by clicking the PDF file on this article.


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