Posts Tagged ‘charter schools’
WCCUSD candidates backed by the UTR headed for victory; one race remains too close to call
Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy, formerly a bilingual teacher and president of the United Teachers of Richmond, has won by a large margin in the Area 4 race for West Contra Costa Unified School District. Gonzalez-Hoy won 50% of the votes with 100% of the precincts reporting, according to the Contra Costa County semi-official election night results. Y’Anad…
Read MoreSchool Board approves charter renewal, discusses district test scores
After months of debate and community campaigning, the West Contra Costa Unified School District board members voted 4 to 1 in favor of renewing the charter of Aspire Richmond California College Preparatory Academy (Cal Prep) before a large and passionate crowd. The board was also presented with data from the California Assessment of Student Performance…
Read MoreCal Prep members advocate for charter renewal
Faculty, students, and parents from Aspire Richmond California College Preparatory Academy (Cal Prep) urged the Board of Education to renew the school’s charter at this week’s meeting of the West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) at Lovonya DeJean Middle School. Cal Prep is a public charter and early college secondary school in Richmond. During…
Read More‘We’re school shopping for mediocre:’ Richmond’s students and parents try to navigate a ‘broken’ education system
Seventeen-year-old Phillip Poe starts his days early. He gets up at 5:45 a.m. so that he can catch a ride to BART with a family member. Then he takes a train to catch a bus, arriving at school just before 8 a.m. His days end late, too. He often doesn’t return until 10 p.m., sometimes…
Read MoreWest Contra Costa school board races attract significant campaign donations as charter schools continue to grow
Significant campaign donations from organizations linked with charter schools flooded the last two West Contra Costa school board races. As charter schools continue to grow in the district, it’s important to examine the money and policies that shaped the current charter landscape.
Read MoreAdvocates fight for teacher salary increase in West Contra Costa schools, decry proposal of contentious charter school
United Teachers of Richmond is currently in negotiations with the West Contra Costa Unified School District school board for said salary raise and smaller class sizes. The proposal comes after the union called for an increase in teacher retention rates.
Read MoreA new kind of charter school: Invictus Academy plans to teach non-traditional skills
Invictus Academy of Richmond is a different kind of charter school, one where students will take double periods of math and English along with communication classes like speech and debate. On September 27, the Contra Costa County Office of Education approved plans to open Invictus, a new public charter school. Invictus, which has been in…
Read MoreWest Contra Costa charter schools with diverse demographics scored higher on state tests
WCCUSD charter schools scored higher than district schools in statewide Smarter Balanced test with high percentage of English learners and socioeconomically disadvantaged students as a bill deterring exclusionary admission policies of charter schools awaits approval from the governor.
Read MoreStudent canvassers helped elect charter friendly school board
SFER AN and its parent organization, Students for Education Reform (SFER), present themselves as student-run, grassroots groups that advocate for change and improvement in local public education systems. But leaders in both organizations have charter school connections that appear to influence the groups’ activities, from educating eligible voters to endorsing candidates.
Read MoreThree Cheers for the Kids and Our Money
A comics-format examination of the power dynamics of Education Matters–a West Contra Costa County nonprofit funded by a local philanthropist–and its ability to influence school board elections and bring in charter schools.
Read MoreLast-minute attack ad targets board of ed candidate
After a West Contra Costa Unified School District school board race free of negative ads through the end of October, a new late-game attack ad was sent out against candidate Mister Phillips.
Read MoreCity council candidates clash over development, rent control and schools
Candidates’ strategies for development across Richmond—and especially downtown—varied greatly.
Read MoreDistrict won’t sell Richmond middle school to charter organization
The Board of Education of the West Contra Costa Unified School District has stopped the sale of Adams Middle School to Caliber Schools for $60,000.
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