Berkeley High School

Students from Berkeley High are getting stoned in the park across the street from the school and in alleyways and other “out of the way” places in the downtown area, “morning, lunchtime, and mid-afternoon,” according to a new report which presents a plan to curb student drug and alcohol use.

Drug and alcohol use among Berkeley ninth graders is twice the state average and some students may be getting their pot from medical marijuana cardholders, the report contends. Eleventh graders also use drugs and alcohol at higher rates than students at other high schools do.

Making matters worse is the fact that the school district does not have an effective truancy program to trace students who skip school, so there are no repercussions if they hang out in Civic Center Park all day.

“During the daily school lunch break, numerous students go across the street to Civic Center Park and indulge in ATOD (Alcohol, tobacco and other drug) use and other negative behaviors, according to the report, which was drawn from information gathered from a 2008 California Healthy Kid Survey. “Due to limited police monitoring, school security and availability of other school staff during BHS lunch breaks, students find it easy to “get high” while on lunch break in Civic Center Park.”

Berkeley School Superintendent Bill Huyett was not available for comment Thursday but he told the Oakland Tribune that, “We do need to do more in the park across from the school. The school has to do more and so does the city. It doesn’t seem like we supervise that space very well. We need to have a conversation with the city about that.”

But some Berkeley High students contend that the report does not expose the full extent to which students are smoking pot and drinking. They are also getting high in school, the students said.

While smoking marijuana on campus is grounds for suspension or expulsion, it is not uncommon for students to smoke pot in the high school’s bathrooms, eat brownies laced with cannabis, or even use a vaporizer to smoke pot during class, according to several students interviewed by Berkeleyside.

Students smoking pot in class usually do it when a teacher steps out of the classroom or has their attention diverted.

“There are so many nooks and crannies in Berkeley High that it’s easy to do what you want,” said one student, who asked that her name not be used.

Students also fill their Kleen Kanteen thermoses with vodka and sip them throughout the day, according to another Berkeley High student.

And numerous students at Berkeley High celebrate “420” day. Started by students in San Rafael in 1971 and named after the time they smoked pot every day after school, the term now signifies April 20, when many kids attracted to the marijuana subculture come to school stoned, according to the students. Many students also drink or get high during Spirit Week.

But the rampant drug use does not mean most Berkeley High students are stoned,  said one student.

“It doesn’t make Berkeley High a bad school because for all the kids who do that (get stoned during lunch and on campus) there are people who don’t do that stuff.”

The report, put together by a task force of school, community, and city officials over a 10-month period, acknowledges that Berkeley’s tolerance of drugs, and focus on drug dependency by adults, may have contributed to lax oversight of teenagers. The report points out the dangers of using drugs and alcohol at a young age and sets out a series of steps to curb risky behavior.

“The fact that little attention has been focused on ATOD (alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs) youth prevention in the school district and in the city and that most of the services during the past 20 to 30 years have been provided to adult ATOD treatment has left a major service gap,” said the report.

It calls for a citywide coalition to address the problem.  Instead of focusing on suspensions or expulsions – punishment – the report recommends emphasizing positive behavior as a way to make teenagers change.

The report calls for:

• Transforming discipline systems by implementing positive behavior systems for all grades, such as:

• Support Building Effective Schools together (B.E.S.T) at each school in order to change the patterns of suspensions, expulsions, and office referrals for behavior

• Reduce suspensions and create alternatives to suspensions at secondary schools by developing and implementing intervention strategies

• Keep students on campus

• Address the current racial problems that exist in schools

• Focus on ATOD as one of the obstacles to student success and develop and implement a variety of interventions to address the obstacles

• Strengthen the transformation of the discipline systems and address racial inequities.

BUSD Healthy Kids Survey 2009 Report presented to Berkeley school board from Mark Coplan on Vimeo.

Among the cuts proposed are over $1 million in non-salary items, the elimination of six positions, and major cuts and fee increases at the Adult School. The cuts total $3.1 million from the General Fund budget, and come after $11 million in cuts over the last two years.

Huyett writes, “It is with a real sense of sadness that I watch the continuing economic crisis being compounded by a lack of resolve in Sacramento to prevent the financial collapse of school districts across the state.” Berkeley schools are spared some of the worst consequences of the state cuts, Huyett notes, because of Measure A (BSEP) and Measure BB (Facility Maintenance) funding, which provide additional local resources.

Huyett also describes his “shock” at Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger’s proposal to eliminate almost all funding for pre-school programs. About $3.6 million of the $5 million spent in Berkeley on these programs would be cut if the governor’s proposals are passed.

The full text of Huyett’s statement comes after the jump:

Dear Berkeley Schools Community Members,

For the third straight year I am writing to you about significant cuts to Berkeley Unified, and all California public schools. Over the last two years, we trimmed $11 million from the budget, and now more reductions are required.  For the next school year the Governor’s proposed reductions, coupled with our increasing costs force us to reduce the General Fund budget by $3.1 million.

A couple of years ago, California was 47th in per student funding for education; now, after of two years of severe cuts, the state ranks even lower. In many districts, kindergarten through third grade classes, once 20 students, are now 30. Average high school class sizes of 36 to 40 are becoming commonplace. Thanks to Measure A (BSEP), we are not planning to reduce the number of classroom teachers next year or to increase class size. Berkeley grade K-3 classes will remain at an average of 20 students; grades 4-5 at an average of 26, and grades 7-12 at an average of 28.

It is with a real sense of sadness that I watch the continuing economic crisis being compounded by a lack of resolve in Sacramento to prevent the financial collapse of school districts across the state. While in Berkeley there are local resources in the form of Measure A (BSEP) and Measure BB (Facility Maintenance) to help with class size, music, library and other programs, the cuts we will have to make will severely affect the education of our students.

Compounding these difficulties, the Governor has just proposed to eliminate almost all state funding for preschool programs and some afterschool programs, such as the district’s BEARS program. (The LEARNS after-school programs are not affected by this reduction.)  Currently, BUSD runs a $5.0 million pre-school program and K-3 afterschool program (BEARS) for low-income families, funded completely by the state and federal governments. The governor’s cut would eliminate about $3.6 million of that funding.

The preschool and BEARS program reductions proposed recently by the Governor come as a shock, and no local support is in place for these programs. This proposal hits our most vulnerable population: children in low-income households. We are collaborating with City of Berkeley and other preschool providers to attempt to mitigate the damage if these reductions become part of the state budget. District preschools, and other area preschools funded by these monies, provide a valuable boost to children as they prepare for kindergarten. Kindergarten readiness is a primary goal of 2020 Vision activities, aimed at eliminating the achievement gap.

I asked my staff in February to make a preliminary list of budget reductions, and this list has been reviewed by the Superintendent’s Budget Advisory Committee which made its own recommendations to me. That committee is comprised of an equal number of employees (including all five unions) and community members.  The School Board will make all final decisions and must pass a balanced budget by the end of June. Proposed reductions include:

– Over $1 million in non-salary items, including classroom furniture, textbook money, state school-targeted funds, high school exit exam support monies; and transportation department cuts that will require changes to funding field trip and athletic team transportation;

– Elimination of six positions, including a middle school vice principal;

– Adult School programs cuts of $325,000, including fewer classes, higher fees, and higher class sizes;

– Elimination of $500,000 of operating costs with the opening of our new transportation facility (half of this reduction was built into this year’s budget).

I have proposed a one-day furlough of all district staff in order to reduce the number of positions to be laid off. A furlough would need to be negotiated with our unions, and my proposal is for the furlough day to be on a staff development day when no students are attending school.

Three straight years of budget reductions are extremely demoralizing for our hard-working teachers and staff, especially those who are receiving notices of possible layoff. I appreciate the community’s support of teachers, staff, and administrators, so I want to continue to keep you informed you about these budget reductions. You can sign up for email updates at the website, www.berkeley.net.

Sincerely,

William Huyett
Superintendent of Schools

It looks like BUSD superintendent Bill Huyett had a similar reaction. Last night, parents received an email with a very different (and welcome) tone:

Reported Problems In Students Signing Up For Science Labs: On Tuesday, BHS Admin put out a post stating, “Information about the lab support course [the enhanced science labs] was included in the course catalog and counselors provided information and the opportunity to sign up for it during course scheduling.” However, over the past several months, there have been numerous reports from parents and teachers of students not being able to sign up for the new enhanced science labs. Judging by two reports from parents in the past few days that their children went to room G204 after school this week to sign up for the labs, only to be discouraged by the counselors from doing so and leaving without having done so, the problem is clearly a continuing one.

Superintendent’s Response: When this issue was brought to the attention of Superintendent Huyett, he confirmed the following:  These “classes are to be offered now to any student who wants to take them. They are additional classes. They can be signed up for this week, next week, next month or in the fall. Any student who wants to add them at the beginning of the [next school] year can do so. One full FTE is being held for the fall.” He stated that 1.0 FTE would accommodate approximately 650 students, and that even if only 300 students sign up by the fall, the staffing will still stay at a full 1.0 FTE so that the enhancement labs stay available for any students who decide at that time that they could benefit from them. He anticipates that science teachers will explain the role and function of the enhanced lab time directly to their students in the fall, and he emphasized that he is committed to providing whatever additional FTE might be necessary to ensure that all students who want to enroll in the extra period have the opportunity to do so.  Superintendent Huyett agreed that, given the current confusion surrounding the labs, families could use further communication and can expect to be contacted by the school in the fall with full information about the labs and how to sign up for them.

Signing Up In The Future: The Superintendent plans to meet with BHS Admin to resolve the issue of signing up for the enhanced science labs. Parents should be able to have their children sign-up at any time by having their student go to his/her counselor and asking for the lab. Some parents have been able to sign up their child by writing directly to their child’s counselor and requesting the lab. If any parent or their child encounters any difficulty in signing up for an enhanced science lab, they should inform Principal Slemp immediately at jslemp@berkeley.k12.ca.us, and should also “cc” Superintendent Huyett at William_Huyett@berkeley.k12.ca.us and the PTSA at ptsa@aerionet.net.

The plan that passed provides 1.4 full-time equivalents (FTEs) for two before or after school labs for AP and IB science courses, and a single FTE for the optional labs for other science courses. The lead teachers in the BHS science department are working to get an honors designation for all students who take these labs, so that students’ increased efforts and understanding are reflected on their transcripts.

There remains some confusion on BHS mailing lists as to the proper procedure for students to sign up for the optional labs. Campaigners for the preservation of the extra labs are encouraging students to go to room G204 after school any day this week to confirm their enrollment.

Two distinct selection panels are planned:

Human Resources is recommending that the District have two panels for the interview process; a community panel and a technical panel. The technical panel will be made up of administration, certificated and classified staff. Its role is to assess specific administrative skills. The community panel will assess skills related to community and interpersonal relations.

Huyett notes that Berkeley’s tradition of active community involvement makes designing the process challenging: “Because Berkeley has so many active parents and community groups, it may be difficult to limit the number of people serving on the interview panel. ” The BUSD staff is suggesting to the board that the community panel not exceed 10 members.

Scores from each panel and a writing exercise submitted to superintendent Huyett will determine which candidates progress to a final interview.

Huyett is holding four meetings to develop “the characteristics and qualities desired in a principal”.  The first, for BHS staff from Academic Choice, electives and the office, will be on April 19. The second, for BIHS, small schools and other staff, will be on April 26. Parent and community members can attend two-hour meetings on April 27 at either 2 p.m. or 6 p.m.

Here’s the announcement from the PTSA:

The PTSA is hosting a parent meeting in the BHS library on Tuesday, January 19, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.  The Superintendent, Bill Huyett, will attend to explain why the Board Policy Subcommittee is examining alternative governance structures for Berkeley High and to solicit parent input about those alternatives.  He and the Subcommittee have already met with groups of teachers and students and with the SGC for the same purpose.  He’s hoping to be able to get many different parent perspectives at this meeting, so come help shape next year’s School Governance Council.

Read Berkeleyside’s previous coverage of this issue here:

Endangered science at Berkeley High School [12.11.09]
Science at BHS: An open letter [12.14.09]
Science and equity: BHS parents weigh in [12.16.09]
BHS Board meeting dominated by science issue [12.17.09]
The BHS science flap — the ripples are spreading [12.30.09]
BHS science/equity debate: The latest [1.06.10]