Denair Charter Academy has a unique dual mission within the Denair Unified School District. It works with home-school parents and their children in grades K-8 while also providing an independent study option for high school students for whom a traditional setting just isn’t the right fit. DCA fills an important niche within the district, offering a quality education option for students and their families.

At Thursday night’s meeting of the district’s Board of Trustees, first-year Principal Jamie Pecot gave a presentation about a “Day in the Life” at DCA. She was accompanied by six of her staff members and one student.

Pecot knows the DCA campus and culture well. She taught math at the school for nine years before becoming principal, and still teaches courses in Algebra and geometry.

Many outsiders may assume that most of the learning at DCA takes place remotely – at students’ residences for the 40 involved with home-schooling or also away from campus for the 129 high school students on independent study. That is true to a point, but as Pecot told trustees, there also are plenty of face-to-face interactions.

Home-school youngsters come to DCA once a week to meet with teachers. Some independent study students are on campus as many as three times a week. In addition to regularly scheduled meetings with instructors, there are classes in math, science, arts, music, history, careers, economics and physical education that are only offered on campus. Class sizes are small, with no more than a dozen students in any of them. Plus, there are two clubs that students may belong to that meet at school – Love in Action, which focuses on community service like feeding the homeless, and ROX (Ruling Our Experiences), which is about empowering girls and young women.

Freshman Maddie Veillon, who spoke Thursday night, belongs to both clubs. She estimates she’s on campus three days a week. She said she chose DCA based on the recommendation of her older brother. She said the DCA method allows her to balance her studies with her duties working at a local daycare center.

“It’s easier to focus,” Veillon said. “I have less stress in a small environment.”

Senior Mareli Calderon transferred to DCA this year and has thrived in the new setting.

“I really like my teachers, my classes and classmates,” she said via prepared remarks that Pecot shared with the audience. “Moving schools was the right choice. Thanks to this decision, I’m really enjoying my senior year.”

Pecot is proud of the work done by her 24-person staff as well as the academic achievement of her students. There are 52 seniors this year; many are on track to earn their diplomas despite stumbles earlier in their high school careers. DCA has allowed them to find a path to success that otherwise might not have been available.

That is a message Pecot would like to share with more families and students.

“DCA is a great place to work and go to school,” she said.

In other action Thursday, trustees:

•  Heard a report from Superintendent Terry Metzger about Denair’s performance as measured by the State Dashboard. Like many districts across the state, Denair is still grappling with chronic absenteeism and student achievement in English language arts and mathematics that has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. Metzger said that the dashboard results will inform the next three-year Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), which will be written this spring.

•  Listened as the principals at Denair High, Denair Middle School and DCA gave an update on first-semester grades and the impact of a new grading policy. In 2020-21, the number of students who earned one or more Fs during the distance learning year was a staggering 61%. The district has worked with Creative Leadership Solutions for the last three years to improve grading practices by clearly communicating success criteria and giving feedback that helps students progress toward standards mastery. As a result, the number of students receiving one or more Fs has fallen dramatically with only 13% in that category this fall.

• Listened as the principals at Denair High, Denair Middle School and DCA gave an update on first-semester grades and the impact of a new grading policy. The number of students who earned one or more Fs during the distance learning year was a staggering 61%. The district has worked with Creative Leadership Solutions for the last three years to improve grading practices by clearly communicating success criteria and giving feedback that helps students progress toward standards mastery. As a result, the number of students receiving one or more Fs has fallen dramatically with only 13% in that category this fall.
• Approved $2,000 bonuses for employees who notify the district by the end of January of their intent to retire at the end of this school year. The bonuses would be added to their final paychecks. The early notifications help the district plan for staffing and budgeting needs.
• Voted to hire KFI Engineers/LifeWings Peak Performance to begin work on ventilation and HVAC systems at the district’s campuses. The district will use two state grants worth a combined $172,000 to pay for the work. Bottom Line Utility Solutions also was hired for plumbing systems upgrades at Denair Middle School. A $125,000 state grant will be used to pay for that work.
• Approved a property easement that would allow the Turlock Irrigation District to reroute a water main to a new subdivision being built west of the Denair High baseball field. Work will start soon and be completed by the end of February. One of the side benefits is that the sidewalk on the northside of Monte Vista Avenue will be extended to Waring Road.
• OK’d an overnight trip to Sacramento on Feb. 9-10 for the high school wrestling team.
• Approved an agreement with Turlock Sports Park, whose staff will engage students in organized activities two Wednesdays per month to promote sportsmanship, social skills, self-regulation and guidance and enhancement of healthy choices and behaviors. The cost is not to exceed $48,380 and will be paid for from Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP) funding the district receives.