DUSD Community Conversation Scheduled For June 1st
The Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) will be holding a Community Conversation on June 1, 2009 from 6:30-8:30pm at Wells Middle School in the Multi-Purpose Room (600 Penn Drive) to help craft the DUSD’s Strategic Plan. All DUSD stakeholders are invited to attend and participate – parents, students, DUSD/City Staff, and all other members of the community.
Participation is crucial to help the DUSD identify the opportunities and challenges that are at the forefront of our thoughts and collective conscience. Examples of topics that could be discussed include:
- DUSD Budget Cutbacks – Board Trustee John Ledahl estimates that the DUSD will need to cut an additional $3.5M given that Propositions 1A-1E were not approved in the recent May election. How will these cuts be implemented? Which programs and classes will be impacted?
- Technology in the Classroom – the Measure C program has been instrumental in providing Dublin’s students with the latest technology. What can the DUSD do to stay ahead of the curve?
- Academic Excellence – which initiatives have helped students achieve academic excellence? What other steps can be taken to improve API scores and educational experiences?
Please contact Shelley Fischer with any questions that you may have regarding the Community Conversation at 925-828-2551 ext. 8002 or by e-mail at fischershelley@dublin.k12.ca.us (type DPRIDE in the subject line to avoid the spam filter). If you will not be able to attend, please feel free to contact our DUSD Board members to provide input ahead of the Community Conversation.
11:16 PM on May 30th, 2009
Is there any talk of a new High School for East Dublin?
3:52 PM on May 31st, 2009
No. It's a dead issue. There isn't the land or the funds to build a 2nd high school. Furthermore, the population won't support it.
4:26 PM on May 31st, 2009
Anonymous May 31, 2009 3:52 PM:
I am not saying we should build the second high school right now. But I hate your "no-can-do" attitude. You can always do it if you put your mind to it.
4:54 PM on May 31st, 2009
I am moving into Tassajara Meadows around mid-June, my kid is in 1st grade. Hopefully in 8 years we'd have something, coz I do not want to "move up" to P-town or San Ramon just for this
We love the little place that we're moving into!
7:59 PM on May 31st, 2009
Addressing the “no-can-do” comment, of course if Dublin continues to grow then eventually another high school might be built. But if there are two high schools in Dublin now (or in the near future), then you’ll have two schools with weak academic/co-curricular/extra-curricular programs. Few AP and specialized classes. Because of this, you’d probably send your kid to Pleasanton or San Ramon anyway. Makes no sense.
One of the reasons why those two cities have strong academics is because of the larger student population. Amador Valley HS has over 2000 students. They can offer more rigorous classes because they have the students to actually take these classes.
Dublin High will continue to grow and improve. Good things are coming.
10:55 PM on May 31st, 2009
What’s wrong with a small high school. Piedmont High School has less than 800 students and it’s one of the top school in the state.
10:44 AM on June 1st, 2009
It’s not a “no-can-do” attitude; it’s reality. I would much prefer to put our money into continuing to invest in DHS. It’s a fantastic school as was recently verified by the WASC Accreditation. There is no educational reason for a second high school. There is a convenience argument for a second high school but that is not worth spending tax dollars on it.
1:36 PM on June 1st, 2009
Anonymous June 1, 2009 10:44 AM：
What is WASC? Is that a big deal? Last time I checked, DHS’s API only increased three points from 795 to 798 (still below 800), whereas the other high schools in Pleasanton and San Ramon increased 20-30 points from a much higher base around 850. When can DHS reach the point of 850 API?
I am all for improving DHS, but it has to show fast progress after so much money put in. Otherwise, how can you justify that is money well spent?
The bottomline is that we do not just want an above average education for our children. We want a top notch education for them.
3:28 PM on June 1st, 2009
WASC is the western states certfying body for all schools in the west. Dublin High got almost perfect scores and won’t have to do a re-certification for 6 years – a sign of high approval.
While we are investing a lot into rebuilding the high school, and have raised our standards as high as any in the state, we are about to lose millions due to budget cuts. This will surely cut into the progress of every school in the state.
4:42 PM on June 1st, 2009
I don't understand the numbers. If 5 elementary schools are planned for East Dublin and each school is about 600 students, aren't the 3000 students from the 5 elementary schools enough for a 2000 student size high school in the East?
4:52 PM on June 1st, 2009
I don't know how valid it is to compare Piedmont, a town with a median home value of somewhere around $1.7 million, with Dublin. Fewer students + a lot more $$ collected through property taxes = better performing school.
5:15 PM on June 1st, 2009
Anonymous on June 1, 2009 4:42 PM:
I do not know why everybody on the School Board takes whatever outdated statistical data as the Bible. We know a lot of times people are very wrong in predicting economic and demographic trends.
On the other hand, they do not consider the possibility of having higher percentage of family having high school students when you have a better high school. This is exactly what happens to Pleasanton and San Ramon. At built-out, Dublin is projected to have almost 70K population, more than what either Pleasanton or San Ramon has now. But yet, both of them have two high schools now.
5:24 PM on June 1st, 2009
Anonymous June 1, 2009 4:52 PM:
I, for one, am willing to pay higher property tax for a second high school in East Dublin, if it comes down to the money issue. Both Pleasanton and San Ramon have higher property tax to support better high schools. I think we Dubliners can do that too. I am not willing to invest more money in the current DHS without them showing any significant progress yet.
Current financial crisis in California is just one excuse. Forget about the absolute progress in API score and let's just compare the relative progress between Dublin and Pleasanton/San Ramon.
5:36 PM on June 1st, 2009
I believe we have short term issues and long term needs in terms of high school.
1. I sincerely hope that the DHS becomes a top notch school in the near future. The DUSD should publish how it is planning to accomplish this.
2. In previous posts, many people posted transportation issues for East Dublin students to DHS. This should be addressed.
3. We should start thinking about how we can build a new HS in East Dublin in the next 8-10 years. As many folks pointed out, it is a costly and time consuming effort and the planning should start now instead of hitting a wall once we outgrow the capacity.
5:47 PM on June 1st, 2009
Anonymous on June 1, 2009 5:36 PM:
I am the same Anonymous on June 1, 2009 5:24 PM. What you said sounds like a good action plan to me. I share your short term goals and long term vision. We need to get the current School Board members to sign on to this though.
7:07 PM on June 9th, 2009
I just learned that another family is moving out of Dublin Ranch and going to Pleasanton. This is their last week in Dublin Ranch. The reason for their moving is quite simple: It is too hard to commute to Dublin High School for classes for their middle-school child. BTW, their child is very good so he is taking some high school classes in advance.
I felt a little bit sad about this.
7:59 PM on June 9th, 2009
I think if they feel Dublin High School is worth the commute, they'd happily put up with it. Are they renting their home out or selling it?
10:28 PM on June 9th, 2009
Anonymous on June 9, 2009 7:59 PM:
They sold their house and bought one in Pleasanton. You are right. They do not think it is worth the hassel for a mediocre high school education.
9:11 PM on June 10th, 2009
The topic of this article is the Community Conversation and, in particular, the impact of the state budget on our schools.
I understand and can relate to the feelings on a new high school, but I'd really like to know if anyone went to the Community Conversation and, if so, can they post any information on the discussions that took place.