BUSD Parents opposed to the Nov. 2008 Recommendations for Berkeley High School Redesign

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Regarding the вRecommendations for Berkeley High School Redesignв as drafted by the Berkeley High School Design Committee (selected and appointed by principal Jim Slemp) and presented to the BHS community in November 2008 as an undated Memorandum,

We, the undersigned parents and guardians of students in the Berkeley Unified School District care deeply about academic achievement for all BHS students, and we care about closing the achievement gap. But we do not support the plan described in this Memorandum that was presented to the Berkeley High School Governance Council in November 2008.

In the вRecommendations for Berkeley High School Redesign,в in-class learning time was reduced by 22-26\% (sources disagree on the correct number) and we feel that this is too severe a drop in academic class time. If advisories are to be included in the school day of BHS students, then we ask that no more than 6\% of the time that students now spend in class be sacrificed to this goal. We do not favor eliminating zero and 7th period, or having late start days four times per month. In simple terms, we do not favor less in-class instruction time for the students of Berkeley High School.

We do not support a plan in which our childrenвs in-class learning time is significantly reduced, and we do not see how having less school will help any student achieve greater academic success. Many of us may have positive and constructive suggestions for plans that we would approve of, but here we simply wish to state that this plan is unacceptable.

We strongly urge the BHSGC (Berkeley High School Governance Council) and the Berkeley School Board to reject this proposed plan. At the two community forums that were held to discuss this matter, many similar concerns were voiced. These changes will affect Berkeley High for years to come. We urge you to reject the plan as it now stands.

279 Signatures

  • Seth Frohman
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2013
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2016
  • Maureen Burke
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2010
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • В
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • В
    • Comments
    • В
  • Peter Kuhn
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2010
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • В
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • В
    • Comments
    • В
  • JoAnn Conrad
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2010
  • Edward C. thayer
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • interested Berkeley voter
  • marcy moriconi
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2013
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2014
    • Comments
    • I am very distressed at the lack of process in coming up with this proposal. Parents have not been involved in crafting solutions to our schools. Furthermore, this is not a fair program for high achieving students who also should be taken into consideration in our school district
  • Cindy Chang
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2014
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2016
    • Comments
    • I attended Principal Slemp's initial presentation to SCG, and then his presentation to the School Board. I have reviewed the Redesign Plan carefully. While I applaud his and his committee's desire to attempt to close the achievement gap, I strongly believe that this redesign plan is not the solution, and will hurt far more students than it will purportedly help. I would like to work further with the BUSD to address this achievement gap not at the high school level, but at the preschool/elementary school level where intervention will have the most far-reaching positive effects.
  • Stephen Walsh
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2013
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2017
  • Camilla Sutter
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2011
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2011
  • Margit Roos-Collins
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2011
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2013
  • PL Scott
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2011
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • В
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • В
    • Comments
    • I am committed to the 2020 Vision. BUT - this plan tries to do too much, too fast, and eliminates way too much class time. It will throw BHS into shock, gives very little extra support to fragile students, and will be torture for students who have trouble sitting still for long periods. Reducing in-class learning time for academic subjects to 3/4 of what there is now will ADD to the pressure kids feel, and make school even harder for struggling students. This proposal needs huge extra resources - people as well as money - and during a budget crunch? Start smaller. Try a block schedule one day per week. Develop an advisory curriculum first! BHS has a huge shortfall of classrooms; it cannot hold advisories of 20 students each as in this plan. (Needed: about 160 classrooms; BHS has less than 115, or even less during construction?) This plan has too many downsides and fails to actually address the achievement gap. Please consider some of the alternative plans that are being presented.
  • Jeanne Schuman
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2011
  • cindi fox
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2011
  • Christa Rybczynski
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2011
    • Comments
    • I would like to see a public process that includes much more outreach to parents of at-risk students. It seems like any money we can secure to help in this cause should be targeted to at-risk kids specifically, instead of spread so thin. This plan creates more questions than answers. I am very concerned about any plan that reduces class time by over 20\%.
  • Sandi Hunt
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2010
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2016
  • Donna Ruotolo
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2012
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2016
  • Anida Weyl
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2012
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • В
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • В
    • Comments
    • The current plan, in my opinion, will close the gap only by robbing the higher acheiving students of their education--it is an plan to "dumb down" the level of student acheivment as a way to bridge the gap, rather than raising up the lower scores.
  • Andrew Cohen
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2011
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2012
  • Phillip Cunliffe
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2011
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2013
  • Eric Weaver
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2011
  • Zoe Carter
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2010
  • Jacqueline Omania
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2011
  • Rafi Hoch
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2013
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2015
  • Yolanda White
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 1978
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • В
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • В
    • Comments
    • El Cerrito High has 4 block periods a day, not 3. This will make it harder for Berkeley High kids to get into college.
  • Christina Tarr
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2010
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2008
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • В
    • Comments
    • В
  • Teddi Baggins
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2012
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2015
  • Kamran Golriz
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2011
  • Diana Correia
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2012
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2014
  • Laura Menard
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2008
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2004
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • В
    • Comments
    • В
  • Margaret Baumgartner
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2011
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2013
  • Franca Cioria
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2009
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2012
  • Steven Vosen
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2012
  • Beth Zeitman
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2011
  • Dana Cunliffe
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2011
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2013
  • Deborah Carlin
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2011
    • Comments
    • I support the Re-design submitted by Margit Roos-Collins
  • Diane Schneider
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2013
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2015
  • Lori Simpson
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2014
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2016
  • MK Murlas
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2008
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2004
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • В
    • Comments
    • В
  • Brenda Buxton
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2014
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2018
  • Lyn Potter
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2012
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2011
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2009
  • Stephen Sutter
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2011
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2011
  • marc jacobs
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2010
  • Rachel Silverman
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2010
  • Lynne Hollyer
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2010
  • Diana Rossi
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2012
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2015
    • Comments
    • I support the addition of advisories to the BHS curriculum. And I also support the need to further "personalize" the BHS experience for each and every student. In addition, I agree with Mr. Slemp, that it is time to try something new; that which we have is failing a good part of our student population. However, I believe this particular proposal to be rather difficult to implement in a way that would improve the learning environment. Although, lofty in its goals, this proposal is fraught with too much vagueness and I am concerned about the holes in many students' schedules. I urge the BUSD School Board and BHS School Governance Committee to take a serious look at the alternative proposal submitted by Margit Roos-Collins.
  • Carol Hirth
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2011
    • Comments
    • I would like to see more gradually progressive changes.
  • Leah Mazel
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2005, 2008
    • Comments
    • There is no way that I can imagine having such a deep cut in class time with the challenge and rigor of some of the classes. This seems like a totally unacceptable plan. I think "going back to the drawing board" is in order for the future of our students!
  • Deborah ORopallo
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2013
  • Jim Jacobs
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2011
  • Thomas Hoynes
    • Student's graduation year (2009, 2010, 2011, etc.)
    • 2012
    • Additional Student's graduation year
    • 2015