Features

Board of Education Approves Shift to Small Schools by 2005

By DAVID SCHARFENBERG
Tuesday June 10, 2003

The Berkeley Board of Education unanimously approved a plan last Wednesday to shift half of Berkeley High students into small schools by the 2005-2006 school year, but raised questions about whether the school will be able to make the switch amid changes in leadership. 

In recent weeks, the school district has announced the hiring of a new Berkeley High principal, Patricia Christa, and the resignation of Berkeley High’s two co-principals, Laura Leventer and Mary Ann Valles, who were slated to serve as vice principals under Christa next year. On Friday, Christa resigned, leaving a question mark at the school’s top job. 

“I think it’s always a concern,” said Superintendent Michele Lawrence last week before she knew of Christa’s resignation. “There’s so much fluidity in public [education] right now and keeping administrators, and Berkeley is not the easiest place to work.” 

The small schools vote, which was widely expected, came four weeks after the board reviewed a draft of the policy and provided mostly favorable reviews. 

The policy calls for racially diverse, relatively autonomous small schools of 200 to 520 students. It also sets parameters on admissions and evaluation of the success of each school. 

The policy ends with a three-page small schools application that calls on parents, teachers and staff to set goals for achievement, community building and student leadership, among other categories. 

The new Berkeley High principal, whoever it will be, the superintendent and the school board must approve each application. 

School board Director Shirley Issel raised concerns about generating enough applications to meet the goal of placing half the high school in small schools by 2005-2006, but the board was generally supportive of the policy. 

“This is very exciting,” said board president Joaquin Rivera. 

The policy was the work of the Small School Advisory Committee—a group of parents, teachers and union officials who have been meeting since fall 2002. 

Last year the board approved a shift to wall-to-wall small schools, but Lawrence said she scaled down the proposal out of concern that it would hurt students who are thriving in the larger high school.