One of the most hotly debated and yet most intriguing subjects that have been publicly discussed over the past four weeks came to a head at the regularly scheduled DUSD Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday night. This discussion spanned over two community town hall presentations, a special work study session by the Board and at this evening’s meeting.
At stake was the continuation and expansion of the College and Career Readiness Program (CCRP) at Dublin High. The initial implementation of the CCRP was evident in this current academic year. It resulted in a 55 minute daily lunch period. This expansion allowed the formation of the Freshmen Mentoring Program (FMP) which dedicated a 25-30 minute space of time for 9th graders to experience a variety of counseling/mentoring/enrichment programs.
For the proponents of the CCRP, the initiative would not be complete without ultimately incorporating a seventh period into the existing school day. The proposal including shortening the passing period from six to five minutes, maintaining the expanded lunch period, reducing instructional class time from 55 to 51 minutes and instituting a mandatory seventh period – also known as the “Gael Period.”
The agenda item started with a lengthy, but far more informative presentation by Dublin High School administration and staff. This section was filled with far more detail than had been previously provided during the two town hall meetings. The Trustees were given a period of time to ask their own clarifying questions. Trustee Greg Tomlinson expressed his reservations about the expansion of CCRP and his concerns were largely based upon the fiscal viability of sustaining this program not only next year, but into the future. The District itself projected a .2 million set-aside for the first year of operation. Some of these costs would be “one time only” and yet, it represents a continuing operational cost. Superintendent Hanke noted the challenges presented from Sacramento as funds will be coming from the State to support the District, but the specificity may be lacking until Governor Brown makes his final budgetary revision later this month. Further, the newly enacted Local Control Funding Formula creates a potential quandary as this system tends to punish high-performing school districts – such as DUSD.
Trustees Sean Kenney and Dan Cunningham were readily on board with approving the program. Mr. Kenney was passionate about his desire to assist DUSD students not only gain acceptance into college, but to also further succeed. He stated that any continued delay in expanding CCRP would remove any and all of the positive momentum that has been developed. Similarly, Mr. Cunningham commented on what Dublin High School looked like 10 years ago versus what we have today. While he expressed pride over those that are gaining entry to Top 10 universities and his concern over those attaining D’s and F’s – he made an expression in support of the “majority” of students that reside in the middle. He felt that the implementation of CCRP would truly assist these students.
