OCEANSIDE – Jaime Manriquez, 17, dropped out of school last year because he was weary of homework, conflicts with other students and always being in trouble.
DAN TREVAN / Union-Tribune
Eduardo Jimenez studied the computer screen in the Dropout Recovery Center program at Clair Burgener Academy in Oceanside. There are 30 students in the independent- study program, which debuted this year.
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“Sometimes the teachers didn't explain stuff right, and they would get in my face for not paying attention,” he said. “When teachers would nag at me for not doing work, I would say, 'Do it yourself.' Now that I'm older I can see I shouldn't have done that because I'm struggling to catch up.”
Jaime was confident he could make a living doing landscaping and vehicle maintenance. But without a diploma, his earning power was dismal.
He has gotten back on track by enrolling in an Oceanside Unified School District program that debuted last month, the Dropout Recovery Center. With a customized schedule, plenty of one-on-one attention and the absence of social drama, Jaime is tackling the credits he needs to earn his diploma.
Superintendent Ken Noonan said the school district has changed how it views dropouts.
“It's against the law,” he said of dropping out. “We don't let kids smoke, drink or have sex on campus. So why do we let them drop out? We decided to give these kids something unique that didn't put them into the program they left.”
The independent study-style center is housed in a spacious classroom and office at Clair Burgener Academy. The 30 students come to school two hours a day in one of four time slots, and they are expected to put in four hours of daily schoolwork at home. They work at their own pace and can complete a class in as quickly as two weeks. Students, who are often a year or more behind in credits, can finish eight or nine classes a semester instead of the standard six.
DAN TREVAN / Union-Tribune
Students in the Dropout Recovery Program such as Jaime Manriquez can finish eight or nine classes a semester instead of the standard six.
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The center's school year runs 210 days instead of the standard 180.
The program has attracted students with an assortment of life challenges – gang affiliations, pregnancies, those who have been expelled, are on probation or are working multiple jobs to support themselves and their families.
“It's not easy to keep track of these students, but we're saying whatever mistakes you've made we want you back,” program coordinator Greg Armstrong said.
At the start of the school year, the district opened Academic Recovery Centers at Oceanside and El Camino high schools to help students at risk of dropping out catch up on credits through extra help and tutoring. The Dropout Recovery Center targets those who no longer are in the school system.
Deputy Superintendent Larry Perondi said Oceanside Unified doesn't have credible dropout statistics because the students are tough to track. The California Department of Education collects dropout data from school districts, but those numbers have been widely criticized as unreliable.
Since it's hard to locate dropouts, the Oceanside district is relying on word of mouth and referrals from agencies such as Vista Community Clinic and the Boys & Girls Club of Oceanside.
The program can accommodate up to 120 students, and the district will accept teenagers from ages 14 to 18, including those who live outside the district.
Despite students' past discipline problems, misbehavior hasn't materialized at the center.
Jaime said he has amazed himself by taking charge of his schoolwork.
“Here you're responsible for your own work,” he said. “It's like a job, too.”
Thania Mateos, 18, didn't take school seriously the first time around, logging poor grades and attendance when family circumstances propelled her into early adulthood.
She's been on her own since 16, and relies on her minimum-wage salary working the cash register at a mall to pay for a rented room in a house. She has discovered she can't afford a cell phone or car and can barely pay for a bus pass. Mateos recently tried to land a better-paying job at a bank, but was turned down.
“You can't get nowhere without a diploma,” she said.
Mateos is looking for a second job while attempting school again, this time through a program that fits her lifestyle.
The students say the center's staff is caring.
“They talk to you like you're their only student,” said Cristal Morales, 17. “They have more time for you.”
The staff includes a coordinator, two teachers and a guidance technician.
For each course, students are given a textbook, workbook and online instructional program.
“You have to coax these kids,” teacher Shawn Pederson said. “We give them respect and love. We don't act like a bunch of adults who have never done anything wrong. One afternoon we talked with some of the young moms and swapped labor stories.”
Armstrong said when students finish their first course, a diploma no longer seems so elusive. And once they see a diploma within their grasp, a conversation can begin about what's next in their future.
Sherry Saavedra: (760) 476-8238; sherry.saavedra@uniontrib.com
