With a desire to meet the changing needs of the community, Civicorps — a local conservation corps since 1983 — will expand its job training and job placement programs, and sunset its charter school on June 30, 2021. Opportunity Academy, a program of the Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE), will operate its high school diploma program at Civicorps effective July 1, 2021. At its board of directors meeting on Tuesday, April 27, the ACOE voted in favor of the material revision to the Opportunity Academy charter allowing it to operate onsite at Civicorps’ facility. Civicorps students continuing with their studies in the 2021-2022 academic year will have the opportunity to transition into Opportunity Academy and continue pursuing their high school diploma at Civicorps’ Myrtle Street facility.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to add Civicorps to the group of community based organizations, colleges, and workforce development agencies who are working together to provide a stronger network of educational and career opportunities for all Alameda County residents,” said ACOE Chief of Schools Monica Vaughan. “These partnerships are vital to the students we serve in Alameda County through Opportunity Academy and other ACOE programs.”
The April 27 ACOE vote was preceded by a decision on January 20, 2021 by the Civicorps Board of Directors to pursue partnership with an external education provider. That vote was based on a series of recommendations from an Ad Hoc Committee of the Board, which conducted an exhaustive review of options that would allow Civicorps to preserve its mission; engage in paid job training; provide robust support services; sustain a high school diploma program and provide continuity for students; maintain its labor commitments, and protect the organization’s overall long-term financial stability.
Civicorps Corpsmember Academy was first granted a charter by Oakland Unified School District in 1995. Over the past dozen years, attendance at the Academy has steadily declined. In contrast, over the same time period, Civicorps has seen a remarkable increase in young adults joining the job training program who already have a high school diploma. By inviting ACOE to provide the educational component of its programming, Civicorps will have renewed resources to expand partnerships, internships and career pathways for all participants. Its long-standing partnerships with East Bay Regional Park District, Waste Management, East Bay MUD and others well positions Civicorps to enhance its workforce development programs and job placement services long into the future.
Post based on press release to Zennie62Media.