Public Comment: Where are Hiram Johnson High School's 250 Missing Students?
Hiram Johnson High School is one of Sac City Unified's "Priority Schools". After a succession of struggles over the years by previous administrators to raise student's low test scores, Supt. Raymond brought in a new principal who "cleaned house" literally and figuratively by refurbishing the facility and making changes in the teaching staff. This has created a great deal of turmoil and concern about the future of the school, given the past example of the district's closure of Sacramento High and it's conversion to an independent charter school.
The Coalition learned recently that the Sac City Unified had arranged a field trip to Sacramento Charter High School for Hiram Johnson teachers. The purpose of the visit was to have a "collegial conversation" on the structures and practices that have lead to Sac Charter's success. The irony of this wasn't lost on the teachers of Hiram Johnson. It's an open secret that Sac Charter counsels out its students who are credit deficient and in danger of not graduating, and sends them to Johnson and McClatchy. Our district high schools educate the students Sac Charter doesn't think are college material. It would make much more sense to have Johnson teachers visit McClatchy High. McClatchy is succeeding in educating all of its students.
But perhaps Johnson has already taken a leaf from Sac Charter's book. More than 250 students have disappeared from the rolls at Johnson. Has the administration at Johnson decided that the best way to boost test scores is to get rid of students who might perform poorly on tests? This does nothing to assuage the fears of those who think the district wants to turn Johnson into a charter school.
The most important question is--who's educating those 250 kids now? Have Sac Charter's castoffs become Johnson's castoffs? The Coalition is against dumping students by any school. It's the obligation and responsibility of the district to educate these kids, not pass them along until they leave the system. The district's motto is Putting Students First, not Putting Test Scores First.