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Parents concerned with the high failure rate of Berkeley High School freshman packed the school district board meeting Thursday night to urge passage of a nearly $500,000 plan they feel is crucial to the success of their children. 

But when school board president Terry Doran told parents that he wanted to hear from only three representatives instead of the 17 that wished to speak, parents protested.  

Vikki Davis, a parent of a Berkeley High freshman, told boardmembers that discussion of their plan should be an action item. And before Davis asked boardmembers to think about what she just said for two full minutes of silence, she said, “It’s a shame we have to do this to get support.” 

Davis is a member of Parents of Children of African Descent, a grassroots organization formed a month ago after it was reported that 250 freshman were failing core subjects. To do that, parents want the school district to enact an intervention program comprised of teachers, counselors and members of the community with the sole responsibility of making sure that students get back on track for graduation.  

“The bottom line is that there’s a point that everybody in the community knows what’s going on. If a teacher is not doing their job, then the whole community needs to know,” said Michael Miller, another parent. “This is a level of accountability that hasn’t existed before.” 

But parents are frustrated that the school board is not taking more immediate action.  

“It’s more of the same of them putting us off,” Davis said, adding that the she wanted to provide parents who do not regularly meet with school officials an opportunity to voice their opinion. ”You just can’t pick three of us. The board really needs to hear parents because the board is seeing the same parents.” 

Doran, however, said he wanted to give everyone at the meeting a fair chance at speaking.  

“I tried as board president to be flexible in running the meeting and it was not part of the normal agenda to discuss PCAD. Limiting the amount of speakers is not unusual” he said, adding that a special board meeting has been called for next Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. “I tried my best to be fair and give opportunities to speak out on all various issues that people wanted to speak about.” 

The intervention program is crucial, Doran said, to identify why students were failing classes and to ensure their success. At the meeting next Tuesday, Doran said he wants to identify what the school is presently doing and what more needs to be done. 

“We need as many intervention programs as we can get before the semester starts in February. But this is very clearly not a new problem and numerous attempts have been made in past years,” he said. 

Shirley Issel, school board vice president, said she doesn’t know wat needs to be done or how soon it can be done but she emphasized the need to identify who the students are and find ways to help them.  

“What the parents are asking for is a confident assessment of academic, psychosocial and medical needs of the kids and to create and intervention to address the needs of students who are at risk at a variety of levels,” she said. “That’s what parents are supposed to do.” 

Even Darryl Moore, trustee for the Peralta Community College District, emphasized the need to implement the PCAD program for intervention to new interim superintendent Steve Goldstone. 

“It should be the first order of business on your desk Feb. 1 at 8 a.m.,” he said.  

Although Goldstone did not want to comment on the plan until he looked at in-depth, he did say he is impressed with the parent effort. 

“Parent involvement is just critical and it’s exciting to see that as expressed here,” he said.  

Although Barry Fike, president of the Berkeley Federation of Teachers, has yet to discuss the proposal with district teachers, he said he is also encouraged by the parent effort.  

“On the whole it is very thorough and it does address a lot of needs,” Fike said. “And boardmembers are intent on meeting the same goals that members have identified.”