Features

Berkeley Unified School District Directors approved this week a revamping of Berkeley High’s Academic Choice program, as well as the high school’s fourth small school. 

With directors asking numerous questions and expressing some concerns about both programs, and with one abstention apiece during the two votes, Wednesday night’s decisions were a far cry from the board’s unanimous, high-praise approval two weeks ago of the School of Social Justice and Ecology. 

The deliberations came in a marathon session that lasted until 1:30 a.m. Thursday. 

The new Arts and Humanities Academy (with an acronym pronounced by its supporters as the triumphant AHA!), is now scheduled to open this fall with a ninth-tenth grade enrollment of 120, projected to rise to 240 in all four grades by 2007. 

BHS Vice Principal Denise Brown, a member of AHA’s design team, said that the school was meant to supplement the high school’s existing arts program rather than supplant it. She said that at the point AHA grows to its full capacity of 240, 10 percent of the arts classes at Berkeley High will be filled by AHA students, while the remaining 90 percent “will serve all students.” 

And Berkeley High dance teacher and AHA lead teacher Linda Carr said that while AHA students will be expected to apply to sign up for the “highest levels of art classes” during their junior and senior years, they will have to audition for these classes in competition with all Berkeley High students. 

Board directors John Selawsky and Shirley Issel both suggested that AHA needed to increase its communication with existing arts organizations in both the district and the city at large, and Issel asked the board to put off a vote until the district prepares a pending strategic plan for the arts. 

After learning that the district’s eight grade students are scheduled to be introduced to Berkeley High’s programs at a March 3 meeting, Board President Nancy Riddle said that “Usually I honor a board member’s request to postpone a vote, but the time is so short that either we pass it tonight or put it off for a year. I think the concerns would have to be very severe to put it off that long.” 

After Student Director Lily Dorman-Colby amended the motion to require the AHA team to come back to the board following approval to answer questions and deal with the board’s concerns, the board approved the school with only Issel abstaining.  

The board also approved modifying the high school’s Academic Choice. It began in 2001 as an accelerated academic program that allowed sophomores, juniors and seniors to still participate in the high school’s elective classes. But it soon fell into controversy amidst charges that it was becoming a segregated, mostly-white conclave within Berkeley High. 

Under the revised plan approved this week, incoming students will be brought into the program with the same diversity mix as the high school as a whole, and the program will be expanded to include the 9th grade. 

Both Dorman-Colby and Director Joaquin Rivera expressed unqualified support for the Academic Choice proposal. 

“I’m very impressed, and those of you who follow board meetings know I don’t say that very often,” Rivera said. 

Dorman-Colby added, “Just months ago, I was not in support of Academic Choice, but because of the changes you’ve made, I’ve flipped my decision, and now I completely support it.” 

But Board Vice President Terry Doran, who later abstained on the vote, expressed doubts. 

“Does this lead to a better Berkeley High School or a better Berkeley High School for some students?,” he said. “That’s the challenge before this board.” 

Ã