Santa Rosa City Schools board waives more stringent graduation requirements for two more years

For the fourth year in a row, Santa Rosa City Schools trustees have adopted waivers that allow high school students who are not meeting more stringent academic requirements to graduate, responding to a persistent crisis among a large group of students who are failing to meet those standards.

Teachers and counselors say students are struggling under a 2018 district shift away from remedial coursework and toward college preparatory classes for all high school students, regardless of learning level, and that the issue is exacerbated by inadequate academic support.

There’s been only slight improvement in the number of students meeting the “A-G For All” policy, which requires all high schoolers in Santa Rosa City Schools, the county’s biggest district, to pass courses needed for college entrance in order to receive their diplomas.

This academic year, less than a quarter of the district’s seniors are on track to graduate under the A-G requirements, according to district data.

“You want data? A hundred percent of the policy has failed because you’ve needed a waiver every frickin’ year,” said Santa Rosa High teacher Johnathan Muchow, addressing the board at a special meeting Wednesday night.

After a four-hour discussion, the board voted unanimously in favor of waiving the third of year math and second year of foreign language — two of the most significant additions from the 2018 shift ― for the next two graduating classes.

The decision was made inside a largely empty auditorium at Santa Rosa High School — a sharp contrast to the packed board meeting at City Council chambers just a week ago on school safety.

The A-G policy has been one of the most controversial academic issues in the district since it was adopted.

Trustees spoke about the intent of the initial policy, meant to address the disproportionate number of students of color who were not taking advantage of the courses that would allow them college entrance. But teachers had warned the district at the time that students would not fare well under the new policy as they were not ready for college prep courses.

To spare those students, the board has implemented waivers for every graduating class since 2018. District administrators said the fallout of wildfires, the pandemic, political unrest and other pressures have contributed to an environment that required the annual exemptions.

The data

Emanuele Bardelli, executive director of information services for the district, presented data that showed the policy led to more student having access to college preparatory classes, with a steep rise in 2022. But, he said that increase was mostly due to the fact that remedial classes were taken away and almost all students were moved into the same A-G courses.

He also shared data comparing general graduation rates before and after the realignment. Before the policy, and in the past four years with the waivers in place, graduation rates have remained between 80 and 84%.

The data also showed in those past four years, Native American and Alaskan Indian students, African American students and Hispanic students trailed behind their peers.

In the class of 2021, 11.4% of students met A-G requirements; in the class of 2022, 22.5% of students met requirements; in the class of 2023, 27.9% of students met requirements. This would mean that the students passed all A-G courses with grades of C or higher.

In school-by-school breakdowns of the 2024 graduating class, more than half Elsie Allen High students are not on track to graduate this June, followed by Piner High with nearly 44% of students, and Montgomery High with just over 41% of students off-track. Just over a quarter of Santa Rosa High students are not on track to graduate, and about 19% of Maria Carrillo students are off-track, the lowest in the district.

English learners, students with socioeconomic disadvantages, and students with disabilities all fell well below the average percentages of students meeting A-G college eligibility requirements, district data showed.

The discussion

Superintendent Anna Trunnell said the A-G policy needed improvement.

She offered solutions that included: increased options for A-G qualified courses; improving communication with elementary districts to better prepare students; increasing alternative education options and creating a committee to hear from students, teachers and counselors about their recommendations.

She also raised concerns about the one-size-fits all approach.

“If we aren't differentiating for (student’s) individual needs, if we aren't understanding what those are, then we may not be able to help them to feel success,” Trunnell said. “That is a part of our job. When a person graduates from our institution, they should feel a sense of accomplishment. Not that they got by with a D.”

Nearly all trustees were concerned about the A-G requirements’ disproportionate impact on students of color, including English language learners. They asked the district find better ways to communicate to families about their students’ progress and options.

When it came time to talk solutions, the waiver was the only immediate option for this year’s seniors struggling to meet graduation requirements before June.

Teachers during public comment railed on the policy, saying it’s taking a toll on students and staff. Many urged the trustees to make the waiver ongoing or to change the policy completely.

“I'm begging you to make this an ongoing waiver, rather than a temporary waiver,” said Will Lyon, an English teacher at Santa Rosa High. “It doesn't have to be permanent. If we can get our act together and demonstrate that we can support students appropriately, we can take it back later.”

Ultimately the board voted unanimously to approve the waivers for the next two graduating class, and seemed interested in examining the program’s pitfalls.

No follow-up discussion was scheduled.

Report For America corps member Adriana Gutierrez covers education and child welfare issues for The Press Democrat. Reach her at Adriana.Gutierrez@pressdemocrat.com.

You can reach Staff Writer Alana Minkler at 707-526-8531 or alana.minkler@pressdemocrat.com. On X, formerly Twitter, @alana_minkler.