Grad requirements need change, school district officials say

The proposition of folding in two high school course requirements into existing classes to free up student access to instruction needed to graduate as college ready was met with resentment by a handful of teachers during the Sonoma Valley school board meeting March 23.

Administrators propose shifting the living skills class into physical education classes and eliminate geography because the subject is covered in other courses at the high school, and they are not part of the school district’s graduation requirements.

The plan for the 2020-2021 year -- which also calls for the elimination of the “senior project” -- supports students who need intervention as well as “students who want opportunity in their schedule to explore electives and be engaged, we have had some parent requests around this,” said Jessica Hutchinson, principal of Sonoma Valley High School.

Some teachers who spoke at the meeting said they disagree with the concept and felt that they weren’t consulted about the plan.

Lenny Pieraccini, a teacher in the district since 1996, said there is a “communication breakdown between administrators and teachers in this district” and some announcements made recently “have surprised staff.”

“Many teachers feel blindsided, outraged and frustrated with lack of clarity and poor timing of certain announcements,” he said.

Erica Chapin said she has taught between 3,500 and 4,000 students over the 13 years of teaching the living skills class at the high school.

“I understand that changes are needed to help these students be successful but I don’t feel that removing living skills as a course or downsizing it is in the best interest of our students,” she said, adding that the content taught in her course is necessary and cannot be squeezed into another program.

“The decision is being made by ed services and our administration without any discussion with the teachers of any of these courses to move parts of living skills into PE and remove geography,” Chapin said.

Geography teacher Bryan Kelly said students are more than “data points” and said the decision was made “behind closed doors” with “short term objectives and long term regrets.”

Elizabeth Kaufman, associate superintendent, said that teachers, departments and the senate faculty were consulted. She also said there is data to support the plan, including results from the YouthTruth survey, a portion of which was presented to the board the same evening.

Data show that 43 percent of graduating students are “A through G” ready, Kaufman said. The California A through G requirements are high school courses that students must complete, with a grade of C or better, to be eligible for admission to University of California and California State University campuses.

There is disparity in race among that group with white students making up 63 percent compared to 21 percent who are Latinx. Zero percent of students who are English language learners are A through G ready, and 3.6 percent of special education students meet the requirements.

“We feel some great urgency around making sure that our students have the opportunity to have their needs met,” Kaufman said. “We have been looking at that data very seriously, we know that the pandemic has compounded it a great deal.”

Special education and English language learners face barriers coming into high school because they require additional classes such as language and literacy and other support related to their specific circumstances, she said.

The plan is part of the district’s master schedule restructuring to best serve all students, Kaufman said, and to improve A through G completion rates.

The subject will be addressed again at a future board meeting.

Contact Anne at anne.ernst@sonomanews.com.