Labor Splits Over WCCSD Sale Of Adams School to Beller/Caliber Charter-Board Votes No

Labor Splits Over WCCSD Sale Of Adams Middle School to Beller Owned Caliber Charter School-WCCSD Votes No On Beller Caliber Sale

A struggle against the sale of the WCCSD Richmond Adams Middle School to Ron Beller who owns the Caliber Charter Schools led to a contentious meeting at the 9/7/16 school board meeting. After Ron Beller signed a letter of intent to hire union carpenters the UBC local 152 dropped their opposition to the sale and mobilized their members to support the sale to the non-union charter operator bringing their Carpenters in Action CIA to the meeting and with a banner outside of the meeting supporting the sale. Teachers, IFPTE Local 21 and other school staff workers and the community spoke out against the sale including Richmond Vice Mayor Edwardo Rodriquez.

Ron Beller also attended the meeting. The WCCSD at their executive meeting voted to halt further negotiations for the 8 acre site which Ron Beller wanted for $60,000. He also had planned to build a new high school on the property.

Ron Beller and his wife Jennifer Moses had previously worked for Goldman Sachs and set up the Peloton hedge fund which was the first hedge fund to bankrupt on the last day of the first quarter in 2008. The fund which speculated in subprime mortgages lost $17 billion and helped kick off the economic collapse on 2008 and the loss of millions of homes for working people in the United States.

For further media
http://www.upwa.info/documents/Beller-Doing%20Good%20in%20California.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAJlIvpjTkM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lq_OZanINQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cayreXf6ynM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XymPX9wOqI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk9n36VzQ14
http://files.ctctcdn.com/c5bd42c6001/6b873bf4-5f20-4c5a-80f3-10405aecf0ef.pdf
https://www.aclusocal.org/unequal-access/charters-in-violation/
http://www.scpr.org/news/2016/08/01/63174/report-1-in-5-calif-charter-schools-illegally-rest/
http://newsone.com/3497545/naacp-calls-for-charter-school-moratorium/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cayreXf6ynM
https://youtu.be/0XymPX9wOqI
https://youtu.be/FUER2mOFzEU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrmgFgfoFPw
http://www.cvobserver.com/education/fresno-unifieds-tale-of-two-deals/
http://citylimits.org/2009/06/01/the-education-business-teachers-missing-at-the-top/
http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/30/goldman-couple-london-markets-equities-streetwise.html
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100569798
http://www.caliberschools.org/who-we-are.html
http://www.nysun.com/opinion/for-whom-beller-tolls/79427/
http://www.law.harvard.edu/programs/corp_gov/MediaMentions/11-8-09_SundayTimes.pdf
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/14/books/chapter-house-of-cards.html?pagewanted=all
http://richmondconfidential.org/2014/10/30/pro-charter-school-pacs-flood-west-contra-costa-school-board-elections-with-spending/
http://www.wccusd.net/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=1&ModuleInstanceID=6159&ViewID=047E6BE3-6D87-4130-8424-D8E4E9ED6C2A&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=12250&PageID=1

Statement from Superintendent Regarding Adams Property

West Contra Costa Unified School District Superintendent Matthew Duffy made the following statement during the Sept. 7, 2016 Board of Education meeting:
The Board provided direction to staff to not move forward with the sale of the Adams property. The District understands its responsibility under Proposition 39 to find a long-term solution to the housing needs of Caliber School. We look forward to reaching out to Caliber and finding a solution that works for both organizations.