An updated look at MDUSD school closure costs and savings

After the school board voted to close Holbrook and Glenbrook, I wrote a blog post questioning whether the district would really save $1.5 million.

To read more by Theresa Harrington click here.

The K-6 Holbrook Elementary proposal

Despite the Mt. Diablo school board’s decision to close Holbrook Elementary in Concord, parents and staff members at the school are holding out hope that they can change the minds of trustees and persuade them to transform it into a K-6 campus.

For more on Theresa Harrington article from Contra Costa Times click here: On Assignment

Will the Mt. Diablo school district really save $1.5 million?

By Theresa Harrington from On Assignment - ContraCostaTimes.com

Mt. Diablo schools Superintendent Steven Lawrence persuaded the school board to unanimously approve his recommendation not to close any additional schools Tuesday, without giving trustees a cost savings analysis to back up his claim that the district would save $1.5 million.

His PowerPoint presentation — which included answers to many questions — was missing one very important question and answer: How do the recommendations add up to $1.5 million?

Read complete article HERE.

Mt. Diablo school board agrees not to close a third campus

By Theresa Harrington from Contra Costa Times

CONCORD -- At another packed meeting Tuesday, the Mt. Diablo school board unanimously agreed not to close any more schools, based on the superintendent's recommendation to pursue other cost-saving measures.

But board President Gary Eberhart warned that the board could revisit the idea if voters do not approve tax extensions proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown.

Read complete article HERE.

MDUSD school closure powerpoint

See the School Closure Information HERE.

Mt. Diablo school board may abandon improvement grant, despite apparent loophole

By Theresa Harrington from Contra Costa Times

School reform has focused on four options for improving student achievement, which include closing a school, changing staff, changing instruction or changing management.

The Mt. Diablo school board could pursue a fifth option dreamed up by its president, Gary Eberhart: moving a school to a higher-performing neighborhood, eliminating two-thirds of its low-performing population and replacing it with higher-performing students in the new community.

Read complete article HERE.

MDUSD School Board Looks at Closing Two Elementary Schools

CONCORD -- At a standing-room-only Mt. Diablo school board meeting Tuesday, Superintendent Steven Lawrence answered several questions about school-closure options but did not recommend closing one school over another.

For more on the article click: here.

MDUSD School Closures In The News

See Theresa Harrington's Contra Costa Times coverage of:

Mt. Diablo school board to discuss team-building during special Sunday meeting

Trustees to discuss closing Westwood Elementary on Tuesday

and Matthias Gafni's Contra Costa Times coverage of:

Shock, anger at MDUSD school closures

MDUSD School Closures

The Mt. Diablo Unified School District Board of Education has voted to close Glenbrook Middle School and Holbrook Elementary School. There will be a public meeting on February 15, 2011 to determine where these students will go. Time and location of this meeting to be determined.

View the meeting on Gary Eberhart's blog HERE.

MDUSD School Closure Board Meeting

Click on Agenda to view the agenda for MDUSD School Board Meeting

Date: Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Time: 7:30 PM

A closer look at Glenbrook Middle School’s $1.7 million improvement grant

By Theresa Harrington On Assignment from the ContraCostaTimes.com

One question that arises as the Mt. Diablo district considers closing Glenbrook Midle School is: what would happen to its School Improvement Grant?

Rose Lock, assistant superintendent for Student Achievement and School Support, told me today (Thursday) that the district is exploring whether it could continue to receive funding by amending its application for school closure. Previously, she said, she told Board President Gary Eberhart that the district would not be able to receive the funding if the school closed. That would be the case if the district closed the school and didn’t amend its application, she said.

Read complete article HERE.

Mt. Diablo district trustees may look at four school closure scenarios next month

By Theresa Harrington from the Contra Costa Times

CONCORD -- Although the Mt. Diablo superintendent has said he wanted to narrow down school closure options from three scenarios to one recommendation, trustees expect to look at four scenarios when they vote next month.

Read more HERE.

Mt. Diablo district narrows list of schools it may close to three

By Theresa Harrington from the Contra Costa Times eEdition

CONCORD -- Revised recommendations for school closures in the Mt. Diablo district have brought a sense of relief to four schools while leaving three others fearing the worst.

"If you guys do decide to close Glenbrook, I want you to go to the neighborhood and tell them why," Glenbrook Middle School eighth-grader Miriam Zazueta told trustees Tuesday. "I'm not only asking, but I'm begging you to keep Glenbrook open."

After this and many other impassioned pleas from students, parents and teachers, Superintendent Steven Lawrence recommended narrowing the list of possible schools to close from seven to three, with the ultimate goal of closing two. He suggested closing Glenbrook Middle School, along with either Wren Avenue or Holbrook elementary schools in Concord.

He removed four schools from a list of recommendations developed by an advisory committee: Monte Gardens and Silverbrook elementary schools in Concord, as well as Sequoia Elementary and Sequoia Middle schools in Pleasant Hill.

Complete article HERE.

Mt. Diablo district narrows list of schools it may close to three

By Theresa Harrington from the Contra Costa Times

CONCORD -- Revised recommendations for school closures in the Mt. Diablo district have brought a sense of relief to four schools while leaving three others fearing the worst.

"If you guys do decide to close Glenbrook, I want you to go to the neighborhood and tell them why," Glenbrook Middle School eighth-grader Miriam Zazueta told trustees Tuesday. "I'm not only asking, but I'm begging you to keep Glenbrook open."

After this and many other impassioned pleas from students, parents and teachers, Superintendent Steven Lawrence recommended narrowing the list of possible schools to close from seven to three, with the ultimate goal of closing two. He suggested closing Glenbrook Middle School, along with either Wren Avenue or Holbrook elementary schools in Concord.

Read complete article HERE.

Mt. Diablo school closure meeting brings out new details, ideas

The Mt. Diablo school board’s study session to look at school closure recommendations shed some new light on the recommendation process and spurred the board to ask for more details about how the recommendations would affect the district Tuesday.

To view the rest of Theresa Harrington article click here.

Mt. Diablo School Board to look at school closure recommendations on Wednesday

To view Contra Costa Times article on Mt. Diablo School Board to look at school closure recommendations. Click here

Study Session on School Closures January 19 @ 5:30 PM at Northgate High School

The Board of Education and the School Closure Advisory Committee will conduct a joint meeting to discuss school closures. The meeting will take place on January 19, 2011 at 5:30 PM at Northgate High School in the Little Theater. We will also attempt to stream the meeting live to this blog so that those who are unable to attend will have an opportunity to watch.

Read more of School Board Member Gary Eberhart's blog entry HERE

Mt. Diablo School Closure Committee To Present Three Options

Mt. Diablo School Closure Committee comes to an agreement they will present three options to the school board. For more information please read more on Theresa Harrington of the Contra Costa Times

Mt. Diablo School Closure Committee Narrows Options

Theresa Harrington publishes on ContraCostaTimes.com that "The Mt. Diablo district’s school closure advisory committee has narrowed its list of options from 10 to eight by combining three scenarios that were similar, said Rose Lock, assistant superintendent for Student Achievement and School Support." To read more from this article click: here

MDUSD List of Possible School Closure Information

One-third of the Mt. Diablo school district's campuses are being scrutinized for possible closure in June to save $1.5 million or more annually.
A school closure committee has identified 15 elementary and middle school campuses out of 45 K-12 sites that it may recommend shuttering, based on eight criteria: facility conditions, capacity, operations and maintenance costs, available capacity at nearby sites, academic performance, geographic equity within the district, the possibility of moving students to better facilities, and the costs of closure.

Read more of Teresa Harrington’s Contra Costa Times article HERE
Read her article about the lists of possible closures HERE