WHAT’S GOOD AT GRANT HIGH

Sandy Banks’ article “Grim Days at Grant High” (Jan. 5) took a hard look at the effects of state budget cuts on our high school. However, a more balanced view of Grant would have shown that in spite of many difficult challenges we continue to offer educational programs that can compete with any in the state, programs that are made possible by caring teachers, administrators and parents.

While electives have been cut throughout California, Grant continues to offer home economics, art, technical arts, agriculture and music programs. Foreign language programs still include Spanish, French, German and Hebrew.

The Advanced Placement program has 600 students participating in 13 different subject areas, putting Grant in the top 10 academically of the state’s public and private schools. Two-thirds of the student body is enrolled in college honors level classes and special college preparatory programs.

At the same time, 10% of seniors maintain an A average while 33% maintain a B average in a rigorous college-core curriculum.

Grant sends about 35% of its graduates on to four-year colleges. Last year’s graduates were accepted to Caltech, MIT and Stanford, as well as the University of California and California State University systems.

Grant will never return to the glory days of the 1960s and ‘70s. The reality is that the educational programs of that time simply cannot meet the tremendous requirements of colleges and universities and the technological society in which our students now live. Instead, we need to boldly address the issues of educational funding and restructuring that will create a new era in public education for all of our children.

ROBERT COLLINS

PRINCIPAL, GRANT HIGH SCHOOL

Van Nuys