Time for Solutions

Well, hopefully all the catharsis is out of our systems and everybody can at least attempt to get along nicely. Perhaps it’s too early to sound the death knell for the DLC but judging from responses, it’s definitely premature to sound the bell for the demise of the school. And that is a good thing. Remember the history of the school: it was created to stand in opposition to the program at St. Hope, and the board approved the school’s charter in the hope of getting a rabid and very vocal group of parents off of their back while they dismantled and destroyed Sacramento High School. However, we maintain that it was the hasty decision to deaccession Sacramento High that has led to the failure of this charter (on an administrative level) and many others the district created (underenrollment, transience, etc.), and ultimately, the failure of the district to meet the needs of its students and the community.

Rumors keep swirling and words continue to be whispered about the inevitable downfall of St. Hope. The mass exodus of administrators from the school since its inception alludes to this possible situation. With the Rogers et. al. settlement mandating a new school be built by fall 2008 within the enrollment area of the former Sacramento High and be located no more than two miles from the site of the former Sacramento High, the pressure is on the district to make a definitive move. Board member Houseman has indicated his willingness to move ahead with expediency; board member Young immediately stated her desire to challenge the ruling. Nevertheless, the rumor mill continues to grind out statements of the obvious: dissolve St.Hope’s lease and return Sacramento High School to the community. Of course there are legal implications that are probably far too great to explore in the confines of this forum; however, we are sure that these legalities can be ironed out quickly given the swiftness with which the district moved to close the school in the first place. And if the district is loathe to move with any speed on this predicament, there is the looming deadline of fall 2008 when, coincidentally, all agreements with St. Hope come up for renewal.

So how does this tie into the VAPAC problem? We maintain that it was the closure of Sacramento High that created the situation. If the district is contemplating correcting its problems and fulfilling its legal obligations, one of the obvious choices would be to re-open Sacramento High and to return VAPAC, as well as MESL and other noteworthy programs that were housed on the campus, to its home. Re-opening the campus would eliminate the financial burden to build a new school, and the inclusion of VAPAC and MESL would ensure a strong academic culture as the foundation of the new school. These moves alone would be a positive step in the direction of making the campus a hub for learning and knowledge in the community. But there is a larger lesson to be learned: neither of these parts functioned well on its own. Sacramento High School worked academically (remember the audit) but was limited in its ability to serve the community; St. Hope touts a strong community program that is weak academically and suffers when faced with the reality of running a school; VAPAC and MESL are, basically, floundering and homeless but offer strong scaffolds off of which to build viable programs. Working in concert, these parts have the ability to serve students and the community as well as any program in the district and, quite possibly, the nation. However, bickering, in-fighting and petty self-interest will ensure that nobody, especially the children of this community, wins.

We can learn from the mistakes that have been made. But the process needs to start now.