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Families and staff urge five-year renewal for Antioch Charter Academy 2 at packed board hearing
Summary
At a public hearing on the Antioch Charter Academy 2 five-year renewal petition, co-administrators and a string of parents, teachers and alumni praised the small-school model, individualized instruction and counseling supports. The board took public testimony and will vote on renewal at a future meeting.
The Antioch Unified School District Board of Education heard more than an hour of testimony in support of a five-year renewal petition for Antioch Charter Academy 2 on the evening’s hearing, with families, teachers and school leaders describing the school’s small-class, child-centered model.
“Every student’s education is individualized,” Maryann Dubitsky, co-administrator and long-time ACA leader, told the board. She outlined the school’s Montessori-informed approach, multiage groupings and emphasis on student choice and social‑emotional learning.
Alisa McCutchen, co-administrator presenting the petition, summarized ACA 2’s history and performance data and noted the school’s status under state renewal criteria. “ACA 2 first received its charter in 2007,” McCutchen said, adding that the school recently received six‑year accreditation and has maintained strong fiscal reserves and clean audits.
Students and staff described a range of programs they said set the school apart. Chloe Leing, ASB president of Doer Libby Medical High School and a former ACA student, noted HOSA and CPR training partnerships and recent campus enrichment activities. Teacher Lisa Munos Gonzalez said ACA 2’s flexible curriculum lets teachers tailor instruction to individual students’ needs; faculty member Dan Theodore highlighted a low student‑to‑counselor ratio — “200 students to one school counselor” — that he said allows same‑day support for students in crisis.
Several parents and long‑time staff echoed those points, telling the board that smaller class sizes, multiage groupings and emphasis on student agency helped children develop academically and socially. Longtime educator Sharon Vella described seeing leadership and engagement among students she has taught for years; parent speakers reiterated support and urged renewal.
McCutchen walked trustees through petition changes since 2017, including reorganized charter elements, updates to measurement and reporting language to align with state standards and additions to admission preference categories (including foster youth). She said ACA 2 meets the state’s criteria for a default five‑year renewal track and invited board questions.
Trustees asked about governance, enrollment and demographic outreach. In response, presenters said ACA 1 and ACA 2 operate under a single local charter council, described the lottery and sibling/faculty preferences, and acknowledged efforts to broaden outreach to better reflect district demographics. On performance, presenters said cohorts show progress over time and cited indicators such as reduced chronic absenteeism and suspension rates compared with state averages.
The hearing concluded with the board closing public testimony; no formal vote on the renewal was taken that night. President Hernandez said the board will consider the petition and vote at a future meeting.
What’s next: The hearing record will remain open for the trustees’ consideration and the board will place the petition on a later agenda for action.
