Charter School Founder Defends Proposed High School

One of the founders of a proposed Dublin charter school, , is speaking out in defense of the school, which has come under fire from the Dublin Unified School District and community members who are worried about how it would impact the district's funding.

John Zukoski, a Dublin resident, said he believes the  is being dishonest in its campaign against the charter school.

"They are protecting their own self-interest instead of what's best for students," said Zukoski.

Tassajara Prep would serve grades nine through 12 and enroll a total of 864 students at capacity. According to the school's website, the school initially plans to use one of DUSD's existing buildings before eventually building a facility in east Dublin.

Zukoski said that the school has the support of hundreds of Dublin parents and already has enrollment forms for more than 100 students, although the school hasn't been approved and isn't scheduled to open for a year and a half.

Growth within the district has been cited as a reason for a second high school.

"By 2015, DUSD projections show that Dublin will have an average of 669 students per elementary grade, which equates to 2,676 students in grades 9-12 when they reach high school age," noted Zukoski.

"An 864-student (Tassajara Prep) would leave 1,812 students for Dublin (High). The district has consistently under-projected attendance numbers in east Dublin, plus there will still be many thousands of homes to be built in east Dublin after 2015," he added.

Opponents have stated that they're concerned about the impact a charter school could have on district resources. Similar to public schools, charter schools receive funding for each student in attendance. If the enrollment at Dublin High drops, this would mean less funding given to the district.

"The district has been telling parents that all schools will lose technology if Tassajara Prep is approved. That is dishonest," he said.

"According to the district's own projections, the number of students in the district is going to continue to grow significantly, so the only way Dublin schools will lose technology and other amenities is if the district mismanages their growing budget."

Zukoski stressed that when Dublin reaches what he said is the projected population of 81,000-plus residents, more than one high school will be necessary.

"If it has two high-performing high schools it should attract over 4,000 public high school students just like in Pleasanton, San Ramon and Danville. There will be more than enough students for two full-featured high schools."

The Tri-Valley Learning Corporation, which runs the newly established Livermore Valley Charter Preparatory High School, is behind the proposal. Zukoski said the proposed school would be different than , currently the only high school in the city.

"Tassajara Prep will be a much smaller school with much smaller class sizes, a much higher counselor-to-student ratio, a much stronger college-prep focus and more. Some students will prefer to attend Tassajara Prep, while others will prefer a much larger high school like Dublin High with its more traditional programs."

Regardless of the school they choose, Zukoski added he believes students will benefit by having the choice to attend the high school that they believe will be the best fit for them.

The proposed charter school was denied by the Dublin Unified School District last March. Community members met last week to . Those opposed to the school are aiming to collect at least 1,000 signatures from community members to show how the community feels about the proposal.

The school's application also was denied by the Alameda County Office of Education (see attached PDF for the entire report). Reasons for the denial included "the petition did not have any public support at the public hearing by teachers employed by the district, other district employees, parents or the community," and that "the petition does not present a sound educational program for the students to be enrolled in the school."

That decision is being appealed to the state Department of Education. 

It had been announced that the school's appeal was on the April 6 agenda of the state Advisory Commission on Charter Schools, but apparently the earliest the item could be heard is June 8.

That commission will then make a recommendation to the state Board of Education, which will then vote. The board meets in July, September and November.

"We're looking forward to the upcoming hearing and are confident that our petition will be received favorably," said Zukoski.

In addition to Zukoski, the other founders of Tassajara Prep include Rully Kusuma, Tim Hall and Jimmy Huang. The school's board meets regularly in Livermore; at the campus at 543 Sonoma Ave., on the last Thursday of each odd month; and at the LVCP campus at 2451 Portola Ave. in even months.

Board members include President Len Di Gioanni of Pleasanton, co-founder and COO of Boresha International Inc., treasurer Neil Cowles, CEO of  Tolven Inc., Rick Swiers, Tim Hall and Dave Vopnford.

Zukoksi's father, also named John, is a member of the Tri-Valley Learning Corporation board of directors, as well.

The next meeting is scheduled for April 5, according to the website.