Tough Questions for Tri-Valley Learning Corp. and the Charter High School Proposal

What problem would the charter high school solve? The only answer to-date has been “east-side location” since Dublin High already provides a rigorous college prep option for students (21 AP / Advanced / Honors classes and 95% of the 2009 class reported attending college).  Ironically, an east-side location is unlikely for the first few years (a temporary location yet to be identified) and not guaranteed if a permanent facility is ever built.  Most charter schools address an unmet need – specialized for the arts, addressing special need students, supplanting a failed school or school board.

Why does Dublin need a second high school of any kind now? Dublin High currently has 1,472 enrolled students with a capacity to grow to 2,500 students.  The average high school enrollment in San Ramon Unified and Pleasanton Unified is over 2,000 students.  Scale in a high school creates choice – more AP classes, more athletic and performing arts options, more clubs and extracurricular activities that are so critical to a differentiated college application.  Won’t Dublin be disadvantaged against trivalley competitors with two smaller high schools – each significantly smaller than rival school districts? wouldn’t that negatively impact decisions to move to and stay in Dublin?

Why push some students into a temporary facility when Dublin citizens are investing $120 million to rebuild and renew Dublin High?  The $120M Dublin High renewal project is already well underway.  By late 2010 all Dublin High classrooms will be state-of-the-art, rebuilt and in 2012/13 the project will be crowned with a 500 seat performing arts theater.  What credible evidence exists to suggest Dublin will have anywhere near the number of high school students to fill Dublin High by 2012, the proposed opening of the charter high school?  The City of Dublin disputed the growth projections used by Dublin Learning Corp. in justifying the near-term need for a second high school.  A second high school too soon doesn’t create choice – it reduces choice.  If Dublin needs a second high school – and it might some day – we have to look to our neighbors in San Ramon, Danville and Pleasanton and know that a second high school only makes sense when Dublin High is close to its capacity of 2,500 students.

Won’t students at both high schools suffer as smaller campuses result in program cuts – and therefore less choice for all students?  The Dublin school board recently approved the creation of an Advanced Scholar Diploma to be in effect for the 2011 Dublin High graduating class.  The Advanced Scholars Diploma reflects the high standards required to attend top UC and Private colleges where academics including AP classes are just one component (Dublin High currently offers 21 AP, Honors and Advanced courses).  Involvement in sports or performing arts, clubs and extracurricular activities as well as community service are what differentiate top students.

Dublin High’s API jumped 44 points to 842 in 2009, and 98% of the 2009 Dublin High class reported attending college.  Dublin High’s API is better than 91% of California’s 271 charter high schools.  Additionally the average API of all district-run high schools in California was 708 in 2009 vs. 680 for charter high schools (let’s call it a tie).  Dublin High was recently notified that it would be included in Newsweek’s 2010 list of America’s Top Public High Schools.  If charter schools primarily exist to solve a problem – when a school board has failed the public – what problem is being solved by Tri-Valley Learning Corp. with Tassajara Prep?