Contra Costa County Office of Education

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION

WILLIAMS SETTLEMENT

ANNUAL REPORT FOR PITTSBURG UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

DECEMBER, 2005

As part of the Williams Settlement, California Education Code Section 1240 requires that County Offices of Education visit schools identified in each county office’s respective county and report to each district and Board of Supervisors the results of the visitations to the schools in that particular district. This report describes the results of the CCCOOE visits to the following schools in the Pittsburg Unified School District during Fall 2005: Central Junior High, Foothill Elementary, Highlands Elementary, Hillview Junior High, Los Medanos Elementary, Pittsburg Senior High, and Willow Cove Elementary. This is to certify that Pittsburg Unified School District meets the necessary criteria for sufficient instructional materials and submitted the 2004-05 School Accountability Report Card. Pittsburg Unified School District did not meet the necessary criteria for facilities standards of good repair.

The purpose of the Contra Costa County Office of Education visits as specified in California Education Code Section 1240 was to insure:

1. That students have access to “sufficient instructional materials in four core subject areas (English language arts, mathematics, history/social science, science) and, as appropriate, science laboratory equipment, foreign languages, and health ”;

2. To assess compliance with facilities maintenance to determine the condition of a facility that “poses an emergency or urgent threat to the health or safety of pupils or staff”; and

3. To determine if the school has provided accurate data for the annual school accountability report card related to instructional materials and facilities maintenance.

The law further requires that the county superintendent annually monitor and review:

§ Teacher assignments in Decile 1-3 schools, based on Academic Performance Index (API);

§ Receive quarterly reports on complaints filed with the school district concerning insufficient instructional materials, teacher vacancies and misassignment and emergency or urgent facilities issues under the Uniform Complaint Procedure; and

§ Expanded audit review authority in the areas of use of instructional materials program funds, teacher misassignment, and information reported on the school accountability report card.

The definitions of four basic terms used in this report are as follows:

§ “Sufficient instructional materials” means every pupil, including English Language learners, has a textbook in the four core areas to use in class and to take home.

§ “Facilities standards” means that each school district that receives state funding for facilities is required to establish a facilities inspection program and to ensure that each of the schools is maintained in good repair.

§ “Good repair” is defined as maintaining schools that are clean, safe and functional.

§ “Emergency condition” means a condition of the facility that poses an emergency and urgent threat to the health or safety of pupils or staff.

The CCCOE findings during the visit to the Williams Settlement schools in Pittsburg Unified School District related to the three areas of instructional materials, facilities and the school accountability report card are summarized below:

Instructional Materials:

Pittsburg Unified School District has purchased sufficient instructional materials for the following core content areas for the schools listed below:

Central Junior High

English/Language Arts: Prentice Hall, Prentice Hall Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes (Grades 6-8)

Mathematics: Scott Foresman/Prentice Hall Mathematics Grade 6 (Grade 6); Prentice Hall – PreAlgebra (Grade 7); Prentice Hall Algebra (Grade 8)

History Social Science: Harcourt Brace, Ancient Civilizations (Grade 6); Houghton Mifflin, Across the Centuries (Grade 7); Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Call to Freedom (Grade 8)

Science: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Earth Science (Grade 6); Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Life Science (Grade 7); Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Physical Science (Grade 8)

Foreign Language: Not offered

Health: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, Holt Decisions for Health (Grades 6 and 7)

Foothill Elementary School, Highlands Elementary School, Los Medanos Elementary School, and Willow Cove Elementary School

Reading Language Arts: SRA/Open Court Reading (Grades K-5)

Mathematics: Houghton Mifflin, Mathematics by Houghton Mifflin (Grades K-5)

History/Social Science: Open Court Social Science Connection (Grades K-2); Harcourt Brace School Publishers, Harcourt Brace Social Studies (Grades 3-5)

Science: Open Court Science Connection (Grade K); Harcourt Brace School Publishers, Harcourt Science (Grades 1-5)

Hillview Junior High

English/Language Arts: Prentice Hall, Prentice Hall Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes (Grades 6-8)

Mathematics: Scott Foresman/Prentice Hall Mathematics Grade 6 (Grade 6); Prentice Hall – PreAlgebra (Grade 7); Prentice Hall Algebra (Grade 8)

History Social Science: Harcourt Brace, Ancient Civilizations (Grade 6); Houghton Mifflin, Across the Centuries (Grade 7); Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Call to Freedom (Grade 8)

Science: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Earth Science (Grade 6); Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Life Science (Grade 7); Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Physical Science (Grade 8)

Foreign Language: McDougal Littell, En Espanol 1a (7th Grade Spanish); McDougal Littell, En Espanol 1b (8th Grade Spanish)

Health: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston (7th Grade Health)

Pittsburg Senior High

English/Language Arts: Prentice Hall, Prentice Hall Literature Timeless Voices-Gold (English I); Prentice Hall, Prentice Hall Literature Timeless Voices-Platinum (English II); Prentice Hall, Prentice Hall Literature Timeless Voices-American Experience (English III); Prentice Hall, Prentice Hall Literature Timeless Voices-British Tradition (English IV); Prentice Hall Pre-Reads (ELD Link to Core); Aspire (Spanish Language Arts I); Prentice Hall in Spanish (Spanish Language Arts II); Shining Star / High Point (Newcomers Basic and Newcomer Intensive); Shinking Star (ELD II, ELD III/IV, and ELD Strategic); SRA McGraw Hill, Reach (Reading)

Math: McDougal Littell, Algebra 1 Concepts and Skills (Algebra I); Key Curriculum Press, Discovering Geometry (Geometry); McDougal Littell, Algebra II (Algebra II); Calculus with Analytic Geometry, Houghton Mifflin (Calculus); Duxbury, Elementary Statistics (Statistics); Houghton Mifflin, PreCalculus with Limits (Pre-Calculus)

History/Social Science: Holt Rinehart & Winston, American Government (American Government); Holt Rinehart & Winston, Economics (Economics); Holt Rinehart & Winston, Continuity and Change (World History); McDougal Littell, The Americans: Reconstruction Through the 20th Century, Grade 11 (U.S. History); Government by the People, Prentice Hall (Government AP); American Pageant: A History of the Republic, Houghton Mifflin and A People and Nation, Houghton Mifflin (US History AP)

Science: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, Principles and Explorations (Biology); Addison Wesley – Prentice Hall, Biology (AP Biology); Holt Science Spectrum, A Physical Approach, Holt, Rinehart and Winston (Physical Science); Harcourt, Chemistry Principles and Reactions (Honors Chemistry); Prentice Hall, Chemistry (Chemistry); Holt, Physics (Physics); John Wiley and Sons, Physics (AP Physics); W H Freeman, Chemistry in the Community (Chemcom); WM. C. Brown Communications, Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology (Anatomy and Physiology)

Foreign Language: McDougal Littell, Espanol! (Spanish I); McDougal Littell, En Espanol 2 (Spanish II); McDougal Littell, En Espanol 3 (Spanish III); Galeria de Arte y Vida, Glencoe/McGraw Hill (Spanish IV); Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Nueva Vistas Uno (Spanish for Spanish Speakers I and Spanish Language AP); McDougal Littell, Discovering French 1(French I); McDougal Littell, Discovering French 2 (French II); McDougal Littell, Discovering French 3 (French AP); Glencoe/McGraw Hill, In Giro Italiano, McGraw Hill (Italian I/II); Thompson Hiente, Da Capo (Italian III/IV); Nuestro Mundo: Segundo Curso, Para Hispano Lablantes (Spanish Spanish Speaker II)

Health: Holt Rinehart, & Winston, Health (Health)

Documentation provided indicated that all activities were Board-approved. In addition, purchase orders and inventory information were submitted. Documentation available indicated that sufficient purchases of materials for all core content areas were made for the K-5 elementary grade students, 6-8 middle school students, and 9-12 high school students in the district; the documentation also indicated that sufficient purchases of materials for Health were made for 6-8 middle school students in the district and 9-12 high school students in the district for schools that offer Health as a separate course. In addition, the documentation indicated that sufficient purchases of materials for Foreign Language were made for 6-8 middle school students in the district and 9-12 high school students in the district for schools that offer Foreign Language. The aforementioned purchases corresponded to the enrollment data for the district.

In addition, the district has provided documentation demonstrating that the Board resolution of sufficiency of approved instructional materials was held on October 26, 2005 with the required board minutes and agenda provided.

School Facilities:

A review of the Pittsburg Unified School District schools found some emergency conditions that posed an emergency or urgent threat to the health or safety of pupils or staff.

The following facilities issues should receive immediate attention at Foothill Elementary School, based on the observations and recommendations of the CCCOE Williams Settlement Visitation Team:

Library ceiling tiles have mold and are collapsing.
In Room G-1, the emergency release button is missing on the bars on the back window.

The following facilities issues should receive immediate attention at Hillview Junior High School, based on the observations and recommendations of the CCCOE Williams Settlement Visitation Team:

1. Broken windows in Cafeteria.

2. Exposed rebar and broken brickwork in quad.

3. Uneven pavement on walkway south of Gym.

4. Toilet in 5th stall of the 400 Wing Girls’ Restroom leaks and there is water on the floor.

The following facilities issues should receive immediate attention at Pittsburg High School, based on the observations and recommendations of the CCCOE Williams Settlement Visitation Team:

1. Water pressure in eyewash fountain in Room 148.

In addition, the CCCOE visitation teams made the following observations, which demonstrate that the schools visited were not in “good repair”:

Foothill Elementary School (Visited on September 15, 2005)

Windows/Doors/Gates: C Pod Boys’ Restroom has broken metal piece hanging from door opener. Locks get stuck and won’t turn in Rooms K-1 and K-2.

Hazardous Materials: Chipping paint throughout interior and exterior (under eaves) of school. Library ceiling has mold.

Mechanical Systems: Poorly functioning mechanical systems in Library and in Rooms C-5 and C-3. Girls’ Restroom has boarded-up door vent.

Interior Surfaces: Room B-2 has chipped and broken tiles. Library has seriously broken tiles. Cafeteria stage has serious tile damage. Water damage throughout school in ceiling tiles, particularly in Rooms K-1, K-2, A-3, and in the Cafeteria.

Structural Damage: Cement around tree in quad is jagged and broken. Library ceiling has mold.

Fire Safety: School is uncertain about number of fire extinguishers they should have (clarification needed on the per square footage rule).

Pest/Vermin Infestation: B-2 Boys’ Restroom has drain cover missing. Quad has large hole where tree was removed.

Electrical: Tubes hanging on air/heat unit in M-1 and M-2. Several exterior light covers are loose and panels beginning to fall. Exposed electrical wires in Rooms K-1, K-2, and A-1. Uncovered switch plates in Room E-5.

Restrooms: Missing soap in C Pod Boys’ Restroom and D Pod Boys’ Restroom. Several restrooms have jammed paper towel dispensers. Restroom by Cafeteria has one sink not working.

Playground/School Grounds: Blacktop has unsafe asphalt edging---much too high, presenting a tripping hazard. Cracks in 2nd Grade Playground.

Sewer: Boys’ Restroom by B-2 has leaking urinal and water on floor.

According to the Interim Evaluation Instrument with revisions that we received from Foothill Elementary School, the district made the following repairs as a result of the Spring 2005 Williams visits: Mechanical Systems----repaired poorly functioning air/heat mechanical systems in Rooms M1, M2, C2, C5, E5, and B5; Electrical---remedied exposed electrical wires and uncovered junction boxes throughout school.

The facilities issues that were noted during the Fall 2005 visits were different from the observations noted by the CCCOE visitation team during the Spring 2005. The observations of the CCCOE visitation team were shared with Hector Rico, Principal, at the end of the visit.

Highlands Elementary School (Visited on September 16, 2005)

Windows/Doors/Gates: Broken window in hallway.

Interior Surfaces: Broken floor tiles in Room 22 and in the hallway entrance by Room 18.

Electrical: Lights out in some classrooms. Flickering lighting in Girls’ Restroom by Room 13.

Drinking Fountains: No water pressure in outside water fountains. One faucet in the building has low water pressure near Room 13. Leaking faucets in Rooms 18 and 3.

According to the Interim Evaluation Instrument with revisions that we received from Highlands Elementary School, the district made the following repairs as a result of the Spring 2005 Williams visits: Interior Surfaces---replaced ceiling tiles with water spot damage in the main building halls; loose panels in roof of Room 23 repaired; Fire Safety---replaced missing fire extinguisher in Cafeteria; Electrical---all of Room 17’s lights are now fully functioning; Drinking Fountains---broken faucet in sink in Room 23 repaired; Restrooms---Girls’ Restrooms in Grade 4-5 area have been secured.

Willow Cove Elementary School (Visited on September 20, 2005)

Hazardous Materials: Peeling paint in Girls’ Restroom beside Room 25.

Mechanical Systems: Room 15 has air conditioner that is too cold.

Interior Surfaces: Missing ceiling tiles in Kindergarten office, workroom for Room 3, workroom for Room 9, and Room 27. Water damage in Rooms 13, 15, and workroom for Room 18.

Pest/Vermin Infestation: Small hole in ceiling of Kitchen.

Electrical: Two lights out in Library. Light in outside restroom on playground not functional. Inadequate lighting in Room 30. 25% of lighting in outside halls not working. Ballasts needed for Rooms 2, 19, and 17.

Drinking Fountains: Rusted Kitchen drain. Loose base on Kindergarten playground drinking fountain. Several drinking fountains have too much water pressure and overshoot.

Restrooms: Room 25 Boys’ Restroom has leaking urinal. Outside Boys’ Restroom has urinal leak and two leaking sinks. Outside Boys’ Restroom needs retooling.

According to the Interim Evaluation Instrument with revisions that we received from Willow Cove Elementary School, the district did not make any repairs that directly related to the Spring 2005 Williams visits.

The facilities issues that were noted during the Fall 2005 visits were similar to the observations noted by the CCCOE visitation team during the Spring 2005; in addition, the team observed new facilities issues that were not noted in Spring 2005 during the Fall 2005 visit. The observations of the CCCOE visitation team were shared with Jan Kuhl, Principal, at the end of the visit.