LPAC BOARD UPDATE ON SJUSD PROPOSAL TO DECREASE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS WE REMAIN OPPOSED (From Peggy Mahony) After attending 2 community meetings and having been involved with countless discussion sessions regarding this proposal we remain opposed to this as the risk of elimination of elective and enrichment programs is very high and no clear rational was presented to justify this tremendous downside risk. Your action is requested today. What do the numbers look like? 1. Under the present 240 credits requirements please understand that the students are required to be at school for 6 periods a day and are filling up classrooms composed of the required A-G classes as well as 5 electives and other activities of the students choice 2. The proposed reduction to 210 means that : freshman will need to stay for 6 periods but starting with sophomore year the students now have the choice to either stay for the optional 6th period or go home; with the math being : 60 credits ( freshman) plus ( 50 times 3) 150 = 210 3. The key unanswered question that everyone needs to understand: what will the students choose to do? 4. Best case scenario: they will choose to stay in class and all present 6th period classes will continue with sufficient numbers so students will continue to benefit from the present robust enrichment / elective classes in place 5. Worst case scenario: Students will choose to go home. Leaving behind dozens to possibly as many as 200 (or so) empty 6th period (see math below) previously filled elective/ enrichment classrooms across the district. 6. In the table below please see enrollment number per high school; followed by number of students who will have the option to leave campus after 5th period and the projected number of elective class sessions lost per high school if they all choose to leave campus. High School # students eligible to leave #Lost sessions/classes Leland: 1,895 1,421 (43 LOST) Gunderson: 1,303 977 (29 LOST) Lincoln: 1,945 1,458 (44 LOST) Pioneer: 1,657 1,242 (37 LOST) Willow glen: 1,825 1,368 (41 LOST) San Jose: 1,258 943 (28 LOST) IMPACT OF THIS PROPOSAL DISTRICT WIDE: 9883 is the total enrollment in the high schools Multiply by ¾ (sophomore – seniors) = 7,412 students who now have the choice to either remain in school for the optional 6th period or go home. If they all go home then 7412 divided by 33 students per classroom equals the potential worst case scenario loss of 224 instructional sessions/enrichment /elective class offerings across the district. This is based on the assumption that if there are no longer any or sufficient numbers of students choosing to enroll in these classes then principals will stop offering these classes due to lack of enrollment/ interest. This is particularly troubling because for many, many students in the district this proposal will deprive them of the only the opportunity they may have to experience an enrichment class/ program. Time Line: this proposal goes for the first reading to the Board of Trustees this Thursday April 10 FINAL VOTE: MAY 1 We ask you to please take action now: 1. Email the trustees: we are advising a NO vote on this proposal Richard Garcia, Board President – Trustee Area #2: garcia65@aol Veronica Grijalva Lewis, Vice President – Trustee Area #4: [email protected] Teresa Castellanos – Trustee Area #1: [email protected] Pamela Foley – Trustee Area #3: pam@effoley Sandy Engel – Trustee Area #5: sengeltrustee@gmail 2. Attend the April 10 Board meeting : 6: 00 PM at the District Administration Building at 855 Lenzen Ave, San Jose , CA 95126 3. Forward this information to 10 friends, family and concerned individuals and ask them to also email the trustees.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Apr 2014 16:28:05 +0000
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