Bay Point community looks to help failing schools.
BAY POINT — It was a huge wake-up call.
Earlier this month, a state list of the "persistently lowest-achieving schools" included all three Bay Point elementary schools, prompting alarm among some community leaders.
"When I read that, I was heartbroken," said Gloria Magleby, a Bay Point Municipal Advisory councilwoman and longtime resident. "I felt guilty this was happening here and asked, 'What can I do to help?' "
Magleby organized a community meeting last week, inviting parents, teachers and Mt. Diablo school district administrators to brainstorm ways to improve Bay Point schools.
Bel Air, Shore Acres and Rio Vista elementary schools were on the list that represents the bottom 5 percent of schools throughout California. A half-dozen schools in the Mt. Diablo district made the list.
"It may be just these schools, but we all wear the same jacket. Even if (district schools) are not on the list, they really are," said Michelle Turner, Mt. Diablo High School PTSA president and a Bay Point resident.
Bay Point schools feed into Mt. Diablo High.
The district has not yet decided whether to apply for federal improvement grants by implementing one of four interventions for the schools on the list: closing the school; replacing the principal and at least half the staff; replacing the principal an