Last month, Superintendent Rick Schmitt introduced his Ten Point Plan to alter the way Cal High and other district secondary schools operate.

Schmitt wants to implement several changes which include limiting the number of classes high school students can take from seven to six which would change graduation requirements, introducing later start times, and reducing parental control over student’s academics.

The Californian believes that the plan is focused on so many different aspects of education that it will be difficult to execute. 

It’s too much, too fast.

Due to strong parent backlash, there were several amendments made to the proposal. This included allowing everyone currently enrolled in high school to be able to take seven classes. However, he left the door open for future high school students being limited to six classes.

If this proposal were to be enacted several elective classes would most likely see enrollment drop, adversely affecting these programs’ futures.

How these proposed changes will affect elective programs such as band, choir, drama and world languages is a pressing question that has not been adequately answered.

Schmitt had promised that there will be no reduction in staff, but rather a reduction in class size. 

But with students having to take fewer electives because of a limit in classes, the amount of elective classes offered will be reduced, negatively affecting student opportunities.

One of the key points Schmitt emphasized in his press conference with newspaper editors and leadership students last month was providing an environment for more freedom and educational opportunities. 

But limiting the amount of classes a student can take is not expanding educational opportunities, but rather limiting them.

This educational “freedom” being offered is instead attributed to off-the campus opportunities such as DVC classes, which would present an additional cost for parents and students. 

This would allow students whose families are more financially secure to have a greater amount of opportunities than their counterparts. This is strictly against the founding principles of public education.

One of the key reasons Schmitt said he is proposing this plan  is to reduce student stress both on and off campus. But the root of student stress is not necessarily from the number of classes, but rather the difficulty that these classes present. 

Restricting students from taking seven classes may prevent some student stress, but overall it won’t be an effective solution for those students still enrolled in six AP classes.

In theory, the superintendent’s Ten Point Plan seems like a positive step toward school reform. But the complications and money-based hierarchy it creates makes it a change that can cause more harm than good.