District presenters outline proposed high school curriculum changes; board member moves to advance to full board

Linda (school staff member) presented a set of proposed changes to the high school diploma requirements and course catalog, and a board member moved to advance the proposals to the full board for consideration.

Linda said the district had reduced graduation requirements years earlier to 22 credits and described problems that created for scheduling and student time in school. "22 credits was concerning me because the law says that students require 4 years of a high school resolution," she said, explaining that some seniors were finishing early and missing scheduled school days. Linda said the district added two elective credits last spring so students could satisfy the requirement without being limited to specific required courses and that staff had been working to add electives students want to take.

The proposal described several course-level changes: combining government and economics into a yearlong social-studies sequence so the same students remain together for both semesters; removing macroeconomics because the school could not reliably enroll enough students for a dedicated class; expanding microeconomics into a full-year course; adding an Advanced Placement government offering; creating an AP Capstone sequence (AP Seminar and AP Research) to begin this year with the second course to follow next year; removing College Composition I and II from a Thomas College dual-enrollment arrangement after the partner discontinued College Comp II; and adding vocational/technical pathway courses under a revised label (reported as "tech prep" in the draft). Linda also described new electives intended to draw student interest, including "history of sports," a combined media-literacy and fine-arts dual period taught with Lincoln County Television (LCTV) equipment, and a course in coaching/athletic administration to support student apprenticeships and community athletics.

On staffing and partnerships, Linda identified specific staff and partners mentioned in discussion: Patricia Swain of Lincoln County Television will support the media-literacy/fine-arts course; Brooke Holland will teach the fine-arts/film-production credit; and district staff have identified at least one existing student apprenticeship with LCTV (Sam Schuster) and another summer placement (Quinn Natale). Amber Russo was described as supporting the AP Capstone courses. Linda said the AP Capstone sequence emphasizes college-level research and presentation skills: "it's not just about a test. It's about actionable skills," she said, describing research projects, group presentations and recorded oral defenses as central elements.

After the presentation a board member moved to advance the curriculum changes to the full board. Discussion on the motion was supportive, with members noting the district appeared to be responding to student interest and offering more authentic learning opportunities. Board members asked clarifying questions about the AP Capstone designation and whether students not already at honors level would be able to access the course; Linda and Amber responded that the district intends to enroll interested students and support them toward the honors designation.

Clarifying details provided during discussion included: - The district had reduced required credits to 22 several years earlier and later added two elective credits, bringing the practical total discussed to 24 elective-eligible credits. - Macro (macro­economics) was proposed for removal due to low enrollment; micro­economics would be expanded to a yearlong course. - Thomas College dual-enrollment College Composition II is being discontinued by the partner institution; as a result the district is proposing to end that dual-enrollment sequence. - The media-literacy and film/production offering will be a double period to accommodate equipment setup and production time.

Action recorded in the meeting transcript: - Motion: "I move that we advance the performance changes to the ... high school curriculum to the full [board]." (mover identified in the transcript only as a board member; no second named in the transcript.) - Vote/outcome: not specified in the transcript excerpt (motion was moved and discussed; the transcript does not record a final tally or explicit "approved/failed" statement for this motion).

Why it matters: The proposed changes affect graduation requirements, course availability and dual-enrollment partnerships. Expanding elective credit, adding AP Capstone and media-literacy offerings, and changing social-studies sequencing would alter students' course pathways and the district's staffing and partnership needs. Several courses named in the proposal are tied to external partners and program availability (for example, the Thomas College dual-enrollment change and the LCTV partnership), which could affect scheduling and resources.

Next steps and outstanding items noted in the meeting: the draft curriculum document remained in final editing and student sign-ups were underway; presenters said some curricular language and course names may be adjusted before publication. Board members asked staff to bring the proposals to the full board (the motion made at the meeting) and to return with supporting data on enrollment and staffing needs if the full board advances the item.

Ending: Presenters and board members described the package as an attempt to better align course offerings with student interest and college- and career-readiness skills. Several members praised the district's effort to add authentic research and production experiences; staff said they would follow up with the full board and return with the finalized document and any requested enrollment or staffing data.