Comment of the Week

Comment: "State's Looming Disaster" Requires Yes on Meas. K

Nobody wants to pay more tax, and there are reasons to criticize some school district policies, but we still need to support the Measure K parcel tax for local schools, says Todd Groves in our "Comment of the Week."

Again it was a challenge selecting a Comment of the Week. Our article asking for reader suggestions on what to do with the empty Guitar Center building generated many responses and intriguing possibilities. We also received a number of notable comments on articles about the closing of Foley & Bonny after 66 years, a national honor for after-school advocate Jennifer Peck and an interview with Marty Kaliski of Marty's Motors. But since the June 5 election is coming up soon, we turned to another article that drew attention, a May 15 guest column on the proposed parcel tax for West Contra Costa schools, "Column: Yes on Measure K – Setting the Record Straight," and selected a comment from Todd Groves. (He incidentally was honored with this year…

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Todd Groves

8:11 am on Thursday, May 24, 2012

The CBAC is a very open body, welcoming to participation and community involvement. I recently self-nominated to become an alternate member with no board support, and was swiftly given voted in. It can't be understated that the engine of school improvement, professional develop and collaboration time, are the most dispensable aspects of our school year. This well- balance editorial captures the …   more ›

Poll: Support Measure K Parcel Tax for Schools?

The June 5 ballot asks West Contra Costa County voters to decide on Measure K, which would extend and increase an existing parcel tax for public schools. Please let us know in our poll where you stand.

"Overcrowded?" asks one of the tightly packed sheep on a campaign brochure for Measure K on the June 5 ballot. Backers of the measure warn that classrooms will be packed in West Contra Costa schools if the measure fails. Opponents say we pay enough taxes already and that there's insufficient citizens' oversight of tax dollars for West County schools. The measure would extend and increase the current parcel tax for West Contra Costa schools. The current tax, adopted by voters in 2004 and renewed with 79-percent voter approval in 2008, is 7.2 cents per square foot of building area and is due to expire June 30, 2014. The new tax would be increased to 10.2 cents a square foot, effective July 1 this year and last five years. Seniors would be …

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Dorothy Coakley

2:52 am on Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Betty, this form works for me, thanks!   more ›

Police in Schools, Adult Ed Budgeted for Next Year

Police officers at El Cerrito High and Portola Middle School and the adult education program are preserved in the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, West Contra Costa school district officials said Tuesday night.

The West Contra Costa school district has tentatively budgeted funds to preserve police officers in El Cerrito schools and adult education programs, including those serving senior citizens in El Cerrito, school district officials said Tuesday night at a joint meeting of the school board and the El Cerrito City Council. Appeals to save the programs came from several community members who spoke during the public comment period at the meeting at El Cerrito City Hall. Classes for older adults Councilwoman Janet Abelson was among members of the council and school board who also voiced support for retaining the programs. On classes for older adults, Abelson called them "much needed." She said she's spoken to different senior groups in El Cerrito…

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Guest Columns

View: Senior Classes in El Cerrito Threatened

Invaluable classes for El Cerrito's senior citizens, sponsored by the school district, could fall victim to budget cuts. You can make your voice heard at tonight's joint school board/City Council meeting, says Janet Scoll Johnson in this column.

The Older Adult program funded by the West Contra Costa Unified School District Adult Education program is in serious jeopardy. It includes three long-standing, vital programs in El Cerrito, and the City Council joint meeting with the WCCUSD Board of Education Tuesday (tonight, April 3) presents a great opportunity to speak out to keep senior programs going. The meeting at City Hall, 10890 San Pablo Avenue, begins at 7 p.m., with time allotted for three-minute public comments following Board President Charles Ramsey’s report. Nonprofit programs directed by District faculty serve nearly 200 El Cerrito seniors at three locations: Christ Lutheran Church Senior Center on Mondays; St. John the Baptist Church Senior Center on Tuesdays; and El …

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Schools Parcel Tax, Police in Schools: Topics at Council - School Board Joint Meeting

The El Cerrito City Council and West Contra Costa school board will hold a joint meeting at City Hall Tuesday for an overview of the ballot measure to boost parcel taxes for education, police officers in schools and other issues of mutual interest.

The proposed parcel tax for school funding, Measure K, will be reviewed at a joint meeting Tuesday night of the El Cerrito City Council and the school board of the West Contra Costa Unified School District. Police officers in the schools The special meeting, at 7 p.m. at El Cerrito City Hall, will also include discussion about the three El Cerrito police officers assigned to schools in the city — two at El Cerrito High and one at Portola Middle. The school district has paid for these School Resource Officers in the past but gave notice last year that it may not continue funding them past June 30 this year. El Cerrito has been keeping three vacant positions in the police department in order to be able to absorb the cost of paying for these …

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Parcel Tax Increase for Schools on Ballot for West County

West Contra Costa County voters will be asked in June to extend and increase the current parcel tax for public schools. The school board approved the ballot measure this month to close a deficit and avert larger class sizes.

Faced with shrinking state support and crammed classrooms, the West Contra Costa Unified School district is asking voters to extend and increase the current parcel tax for schools. The current tax, first adopted by voters in 2004 and renewed with 79-percent voter approval in 2008, is 7.2 cents per square foot of building area and is due to expire June 30, 2014. The new tax would be increased to 10 cents a square foot, effective July 1 this year and last five years. The election will be held June 5. Two-thirds' approval is required for passage. The school board voted unanimously at its Feb. 15 meeting to place the measure before voters, and the school district subsequently mailed an eight-page, large-format, English-Spanish brochure to …

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G.C.

3:39 pm on Sunday, March 4, 2012

If anyone needs to learn English, then they should have this opportunity at the JC. I want them to learn English. I support Adult Ed 100%, but at the JC. I benefitted greatly from the JC. I'm not sure I completely understand the "Hispanic" issue raised, but I will say I know someone from Mexico who benefitted greatly from the Contra Costa College Biotech program and is now a valuable asset in any…   more ›

Guest Columns

View: Start High School at 8:30am or Later – To Fit Teen Sleep Cycles

Studies show that teens – who have a later sleep cycle than children or adults – fare better on many measures when high school starts later in the morning, says social worker Susanna Marshland of Kensington.

In the current environment which focuses on improving measurable outcomes for all our schools, there is one simple, cost-effective change that could make a big difference. The change?  Shift the morning start time for our high schools to 8:30 or later. There is very clear research indicating that delaying the morning start time for high schools has a major impact not just on improving grades and test scores, but also on improving physical and mental health students and decreasing teen driving accidents. Medical research is clear that teens experience a "sleep phase shift" during adolescence that means they are alert later into the night than children and adults. The average teen needs 9.25 hours of sleep a night.  When they don't even get …

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Maribel Ibrahim

5:18 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012

We only 185 more signatures to help #startschoollater http://t.co/3f9MSCnP  More sleep = better health & more safety.   more ›

Poll: Change How Black History Month Is Observed in West County Schools?

Please take our poll on a challenging question raised by the superintendent of West Contra County schools: Should the "heroes and holidays" approach to multicultural education be changed to a "decision-making and social action" curriculum?

It's Black History Month again, a time when schools celebrate African-American contributions and heroes. This year, however, the superintendent of the West Contra Costa Unified School district, Bruce Harter, has issued a thought-provoking challenge to the traditional approach. We'd like your vote in our poll at the bottom of this article on Black History Month education. "Because we designate one month of the year as Black or African American History month," Harter says in his message, "we highlight and learn about contributions of African Americans – what some call the "heroes and holidays" approach to diversity in our society." (The superintendent's message is on the district Web site and is attached to this article.) "Teaching about ‘…

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Todd Groves

8:27 pm on Friday, February 10, 2012

Critical thinking is good and needed, but critical pedagogy could easily be characterized as an ideology far outside the mainstream. Would you be as comfortable with a radical libertarian ideology driving our pedagogy? I know I wouldn't, yet our left-leaning community's embrace of this idealism invites such comparisons. We need something deep to improve student achievement. Radical flirtations …   more ›