District's Plans for GATE Programs

The GATE magnet program at Sequoia Middle School was adopted as part of the movement to middle school instituted in the late 80’s.  At that time Sequoia’s test scores were consistently the lowest in the district, and the magnet was conceived as a way of improving the academic environment at Sequoia and better serving GATE middle school students. Both goals were accomplished admirably.

Today, we are in a very different time and place.  All schools are accountable for test scores in a way not even conceived of in the 80’s. Further, the district has almost doubled in size since that time, and yet there is still only one GATE magnet program for middle school.  Sequoia, with only two grades is the largest middle school in the district, so there is also a concern about adding students from other attendance areas to an already overcrowded school.  These are not reasons for a change, but they are concerns that all relate to the magnet program.  The most compelling problem from the district point of view is that there are 813 grade 6-8 students identified in the Fontana Unified  School District, yet only 279 students are in the Jurupa Hills/Sequoia magnet.  Clearly, more program availability is needed.

As to the advisability of a magnet program, it is certainly understood that GATE students will thrive in a program that is designed to meet their needs.  The district supports fully the need to have a “critical mass” of GATE students at a school, so that a viable program for all core classes can be scheduled.  The district agrees that while differentiated instruction in a regular classroom is possible, it rarely produces the same effect for students as a clustered setting can provide.

Nonetheless, the district is opposed to creating a GATE school.  While clustering GATE students provides the opportunity for them to thrive in a total school program, isolating them from other students would inhibit the growth of social skills, leadership skills, and their ability to relate to people from all walks of life.  This is not in the best educational or social interest of our GATE students.  Several university studies have shown that often the top students academically do not go on to be as successful as less academically-oriented students because they don’t possess the social skills or leadership skills necessary for a successful career.  By keeping GATE students in the midst of the total population, students have the opportunity to develop those critical leadership skills.

It is therefore the intent of the district to provide multiple GATE cluster sites for the 2008-2009 school year.  Where a middle school’s population of GATE students can provide the same “critical mass” to create GATE-only classes, the neighborhood school is the best location for GATE students.  If there are not enough GATE students at a site, then students will be offered busing to attend a GATE program near them to create the critical size.  It is prudent also, to avoid requiring students to spend an inordinate amount of time on a bus each day. Earlier this year, we heard many complaints from parents about students waiting in the dark to get their buses and putting in as much as two hours a day on a bus.  Therefore, the logical solution is to provide several sites, scattered throughout the district to serve the GATE population.

As for Jurupa Hills, the problem is the proximity to two high schools, High School #5 whose front entrance will be across the street from Jurupa Hills, and Citrus Continuation High School, whose classrooms will be located right behind the school.  This is not a good place for elementary or middle school students.  The district also felt that Southridge parents deserved to know that busing over the 10 freeway could become problematic in the 08-09 and 09-10 school years.  Because of all these reasons, sixth graders from the Sequoia attendance area will likely be in their home elementary schools in 08-09, and with the opening of Beech Avenue Elementary School, either West Randall or Live Oak could house a sixth grade GATE cluster.

As to allegations expressed in correspondence and at board meetings:

• There is no intent to end the magnet GATE program at the middle school level.
• Teachers have not been told to start looking for jobs because the GATE program is closing.
• Teachers at Jurupa Hills have been assured that the district will work with the FTA to provide them with appropriate transfers to other schools when Jurupa Hills closes.
   

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