California Continuation Education Association Document

Title:  Letter To Sarah Reyes re: AB 2634

Author:  Gerry Catanzarite

Date:  April 19, 2000

April 19, 2000

The Honorable Sarah Reyes
California State Assembly
State Capitol, Room 5128
Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear Assembly Member Reyes,

I am writing this letter to request your support of Assembly Bill AB 2634 (Calderon) and for funding in the state budget to implement the bill. I have been a continuation educator in Fresno Unified for the past 28 years, both as a teacher and a principal. I am currently the principal of George M. DeWolf High School. I have also been very active in the California Continuation Education Association (CCEA) and I am a past state president of the organization.

Continuation education is the premiere dropout prevention program in California. Each year we enroll over 100,000 students who are behind in credits, have children, must work, are bored in school, have gotten into a little trouble, and/or other similar problems affecting school performance and success. These are good kids who need a little help and guidance to get back on track. We work hard with these children to help them achieve their goals and become productive citizens.

Unfortunately, there are huge inequities in the way the continuation high schools are funded throughout the state. Some districts receive fifteen dollars or less per ADA above the revenue limit while others in the state receive in excess of $30,000 per ADA. There is even one district that receives over $100,000 per ADA above the revenue limit. This funding problem is the product of a Prop.13 stopgap funding model that was never corrected.

Student success in continuation high schools is based on small class size, individualized instruction, intensive guidance, and flexible scheduling to meet the individual needs of students. At DeWolf High School we enroll approximately 20 students per teacher and try to keep the attendance to around 15 - 18 students per class. We provide two full time counselors and a halftime student assistance counselor for the approximately 400 students enrolled. We also have a work experience counselor, childcare program, library, and many programs to help students. DeWolf is accredited through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and is recognized as a "Model School" by the California Department of Education.

DeWolf High School is one of the schools in the state that receives only minimal funding. Fortunately for our students, Fresno Unified has chosen to continue to finance our program in spite of considerable costs above our generated funding. Of course, this could change at any time, depending on the leadership and financial condition of the district. I know of many continuation high school programs in the state that were once considered high quality programs, but now are bare-bones operations that do not meet student needs. Many of these programs staff at 30 – 40 students per teacher, only offer a three-hour instructional schedule to students, and have no counselors on staff. The staffs at these schools work hard to help the students, but with limited resources they cannot do even an adequate job.

Your help on AB 2634 is particularly important with the increase in performance standards for students throughout the state. With the push to raise test scores and increased graduation requirements, continuation high schools have to "raise the bar" to meet the growing needs of students and communities. In many cases when students score low on the SAT/9 test or cannot pass the algebra requirement, they move to the continuation high school for help. To "be there" for these kids, we need our small class size and an adequate number of properly credentialed teachers and counselors to support the students. To do less is cheating our children.

AB 2634 provides the quality requirements and funding necessary to ensure that continuation high schools can do their job. It requires a 20:1 student/teacher ratio, credentialed counselors, and provides for the necessary flexibility in scheduling, and the additional funding needed to help pay for the program. Please help us by supporting AB 2634.

For further information or if you would like to visit DeWolf, please contact me at DeWolf 559/248-7350, at home 559/###-####, or my cell phone 559/####-####. I appreciate your support and all that you do for us.

Sincerely,

Gerry Catanzarite, Ed.D.
Principal