College Prep Idea Approved in L.A.

Over the vigorous objections of some teachers and vocational education leaders, the Los Angeles Board of Education approved a bold academic reform plan Tuesday that will require high school students to complete a set of college prep courses.

Standing outside the Los Angeles Unified School District’s downtown headquarters with several hundred cheering parents, students and community members after the 6-1 vote, board President Jose Huizar called it a victory.

“Thousands upon thousands of children will now have the opportunity to attend college, and that is an opportunity that wasn’t there for them for many years,” said Huizar, who introduced the plan, which was co-sponsored by board members Jon Lauritzen and David Tokofsky.

Board member Marguerite LaMotte, who represents many of the schools that serve parents and students who support the plan, cast the lone dissenting vote.

LaMotte said she was skeptical of how the district would implement the plan, including whether it could hire enough teachers for the additional courses when many schools were already relying on substitutes to instruct classes.

“Too many of my students in my district will be negatively and adversely affected by this mandate,” she told the crowd, which was filled with students wearing red and blue T-shirts that read “Let Me Choose My Future.”

“In their best interest, and in the best interest of some of your siblings, I cast a ‘no’ vote,” she said as the crowd booed.

LaMotte’s concerns echoed those of teachers and other board members who worried that the plan would hurt students who were already struggling with coursework.

Board member Julie Korenstein said: “I think about all of the students who may not get through high school because of this vote. I think about the students who may not get a diploma because of this vote.”

Before voting “yes,” Korenstein said she hoped “a mistake has not been made.”

Beginning with the class of 2008, high school students will be required to complete the 15 courses needed for admission to the University of California or California State University systems unless they opt out.

They will be required to take four years of English, three years of math, two years of history, science and foreign language, and a year of visual and performing arts and advanced electives.

Under the plan, beginning with the class of 2012, all high school students will be required to complete those courses for graduation, except for some special education students, English learners and those who enroll in a career preparation program approved under state standards.

During a public hearing, Bell High School teacher Daniel Somoano asked the board to reject the plan, saying extra classes would not boost achievement.

“We need help. We don’t need more classes,” Somoano said. “Students are failing classes because they come in unprepared.”

Vocational education supporters say the proposal will take away from their programs, which are designed mainly as an option for students who are not on the college track. They say because vocational programs have been reduced over the last decade, this plan will siphon resources from those courses.

Though a cost estimate has not been determined, board member Mike Lansing estimated that it could cost up to $100 million to implement.

“If this is going to be a true mandate, we have to put funding” with it, said Lansing, who asked the district to reevaluate the program’s progress every three months. “Otherwise, it’s just another un-funded mandate.”

As the board deliberated, several hundred students and community members danced and rallied outside, chanting “Give us life prep, not a life sentence!”

Many were members of Communities For Educational Equity, a grass-roots organization that brought the idea to Huizar and schools Supt. Roy Romer a year ago.

Huizar said he pushed the proposal after hearing from students who complained about being tracked into “dead end” courses because more rigorous classes were full. They said overburdened counselors often did not have time to map out a college plan for them.

Luiz Sanchez, an organizer of the group, said by supporting the plan, the board accepted a challenge.

“Six months ago, the district wasn’t even touching” the college prep issue, he said. “Now it is front and center.”

Sanchez said that after months of rallies, church meetings and petitioning, the district has listened to community concerns. “Students,” he said, “fought to make this possible.”