Student AcaDeca teams facing competition for funds
By Christina Villacorte, Staff Writer, LA Daily News | http://bit.ly/xsIMyT
Stephanie Franklin, the ACADECA coach, stands in the Library where banners hang from the walls. El Camino Real is among the elite competitors in the Academic Decathlon, having won numerous state and national titles. Now the program is in jeopardy due to budget cuts within the LAUSD. (John McCoy / Staff Photographer)
<< ADADECA Coach Stephanie Franklin listens to students, including Amanda Fitzmorris who is motioning with her hands, as they talk about taking an exam. El Camino Real is among the elite competitors in the Academic Decathlon, having won numerous state and national titles. Now the program is in jeopardy due to budget cuts within the LAUSD. (John McCoy / Staff Photographer)
03/11/2012 05:13:44 PM PDT :: With the state Academic Decathlon championship set for the weekend, teams from several San Fernando Valley high schools are preparing hard for Sacramento, trying to block out the shadow hanging over the program.
For the first time, the Los Angeles Unified School District is considering cutting its Academic Decathlon program next year to help make a dent in its $557-million budget deficit.
Funding for the program has been dwindling steadily over the years, but never before has the district proposed chopping it altogether.
"I personally am devastated," said Cliff Ker, who coordinates the competition among schools within LAUSD. "I've been trying to figure out a way that our teams can continue to compete, but I don't see how that's going to happen."
LAUSD's Board of Education is expected to vote Tuesday on an array of drastic budget cuts - not only to the Academic Decathlon but also to adult and early education, elementary school art classes, tutoring and recreation programs, and the All District Honor Marching Band, among others.
Layoffs also loom unless savings can be achieved
another way, such as through ongoing negotiations with employee unions.
LAUSD allotted $400,000 for the Academic Decathlon in the current fiscal year, to pay for the regional competition and stipends to coaches.
LAUSD board member Bennett Kayser vowed to fight to preserve Academic Decathlon funding, pointing out no fewer than 13 schools "While it's a lot of dollars to come out of an individual's pocket, it's not a lot of dollars to find in a multibillion dollar budget," he said. "I'm going to be looking for that money, and I'm going to making sure that it's found and that we keep the program going."
Stephanie Franklin, coach of El Camino Real High School's Academic Decathlon team, is hoping for a miracle.
"This is a program that actually pushes education, which is what we're all here for," she said. "To see it be lost is nothing short of a tragedy."
The 2010 ACADECA team from El Camino Real is seen in the Oval Office with President Obama. el Camino Real is among the elite competitors in the Academic Decathlon, having won numerous state and national titles. Now the program is in jeopardy due to budget cuts within the LAUSD. (John McCoy)>>
The Woodland Hills campus has won six national Acadeca titles. Now a charter school, El Camino does not receive any direct funding from the LAUSD for the Academic Decathlon. However, if the LAUSD stops coordinating the regional competition, it may be difficult for teams in the district to earn the points needed to qualify for state and national competitions.
They could join another regional competition, such as the one administered by Los Angeles County. However, that contest already involves about 50 schools and LAUSD has about 60 Academic Decathlon teams.
Still, Arthur Berchin, who has coached three Academic Decathlon teams at Taft High School to national championships, is optimistic.
"In one way or another, I think schools are going to continue competing," he said. "I think schools are going to still want to have their program, and I'm willing to bet that our schools are still going to be successful."
LAUSD has a proud history in the Academic Decathlon, winning 12 national championships in 30 years of competition.
"(The proposed budget cut) is ironic because Academic Decathlon is probably the one area where LAUSD shines more than any other district in the nation," said Van Nuys High School Academic Decathlon coach Angel Abreu. "At a time when the district is dealing with such bad publicity (with teachers being accused of molesting students), you would think they would want to keep the one thing it truly excels in."
Abreu said failing to preserve that funding is "a shame when you look at the cost of the Academic Decathlon compared to a lot of other things that this district wastes money on."
Daniel Berdichevsky, a member of the Taft High School team that won the Academic Decathlon national championship in 1994, considers the program "one of the most cost-effective for making a huge difference in the lives of all kinds of students."
He now holds degrees from Harvard and Stanford, is the founder of a company that provides study materials, and travels the world to host the World Scholar's Cup, a competition similar to the Academic Decathlon.
Eric Werner, a member of El Camino's current team, said his own experience with the program has vastly enhanced his knowledge and motivation to continue learning. He wants to become a teacher someday.
"When I started going to high school, I didn't have as much zeal for attending classes and doing homework, but Academic Decathlon really makes me want to participate in my school," he said. "Everyone who has a zeal for learning definitely should want to continue this program."
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