It looked like rain Tuesday morning, but the students, teachers and volunteers at Cesar Chavez Charter School were in high spirits. And why not? With a new principal and a draft charter, it seems the clouds are parting for the future of the dual-immersion language school.

Cesar Chavez has had a rough few months. The Santa Barbara School District administration considered not renewing the school’s charter — widely protested by the community — because of low test scores.

In November, administrators decided to give the school a second chance — with strings attached. The charter, which expired in October, was extended to the end of the school year, and the governance council — a group of parents that makes school-related decisions — has to come back to the board with a plan for improvement by then.

The school board also hired former Peabody Charter School Principal Pat Morales as a consultant — mostly on Cesar Chavez’s dime — to help improve student achievement.

A lot has changed since then.

Superintendent Brian Sarvis and Associate Superintendent Robin Sawaske already have reviewed a draft of the new charter, said Mary Docter, a governance council member and mother of a Cesar Chavez third-grader.

A workshop will be held next week with the entire school board, and a few members — including Annette Cordero and Ed Heron — have shown up to meetings of the governance council as nonvoting members, she said.

“So far, it looks like they’re very supportive of the charter,” she said of administrative and board response.

The breadth of changes is seen even in its size, as the charter’s now multiple times longer than the original.

Assessment is a major factor in its crafting; having measurable benchmarks will ensure knowing whether all students are learning at an appropriate pace.

Studying other dual-immersion programs, especially those with a majority of English-learners — like Cesar Chavez — has been an important part of research, said second-grade English model teacher Michael Macioce.

Implementing standardized assessments and targeted interventions used by the district at large could greatly enhance student achievement. Additionally, having an integrated curriculum that spans grade levels is more effective than teachers working in isolation, he said.

Since Principal Eva Neuer was fired — the specific reasons remain undisclosed — in November, there has been a mixture of leadership for the school. Macioce was the acting principal in December before Morales came on.

Morales’ last day was Friday, and new Principal Juanita Hernandez began work Monday.

“She’s given a lot of much-needed feedback,” fellow governance council member Cristina Wood said of Morales.

Hernandez, who previously worked for the Temecula Unified School District, has more than two decades of experience as a bilingual teacher, elementary school principal and administrator.

“She can hit the ground running,” Docter said.

Most recently, she has been a district administrative coordinator for an English-learning program, an alternative education principal and an elementary school principal. Born in the Salinas Valley, she has always lived and worked in California.

Tuesday, which was Read Across America Day, was her second day of work at Cesar Chavez.

All of the school’s 250 students gathered on blankets on the front lawn, where teachers and volunteers read to younger students and older students read individually. 

The pajama-wearing students were split into English and Spanish groups, as they spend half their time learning in each language. Hernandez made her way across the lawn, stopping to speak with students and adults before sitting down to read to one of the groups.

After years of being an administrator, she said she’s looking forward to being more hands-on.

“There isn’t anything quite like being around teachers and students,” she said. “I can’t wait to get the feel of the routine and see the parents in action.”

The parents of Cesar Chavez school — including many teachers — are expected to be very involved, which leads to a close-knit group of people, Docter said.

November’s debate over the charter brought the community together, but the sense of ownership is not unique to times of trouble.

“Parents are expected to give 50 hours a year however they can,” she said. “This is a close-knit group of people.”

The school has about 250 students and was established in 2000. It receives public funds and may qualify for some start-up grants next year if the charter is adopted.

Cesar Chavez is actively recruiting kindergarten students for this fall, and interested parties are urged to contact the school, at 1102 E. Yanonali St., as soon as possible.

— Noozhawk staff writer Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com.