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Parents and teachers urge Dixon Unified to preserve freshman computer-tech option as district plans ethnic-studies requirement
Summary
District staff presented plans to implement a ninth-grade ethnic studies course to meet a state graduation requirement; public commenters and a Dixon High teacher urged the district not to eliminate the current freshman computer-technology offering, proposing alternatives such as offering ethnic studies as an elective or expanding the school day.
Dixon Unified presented an update on plans to implement a ninth-grade ethnic studies course next academic year to meet state graduation requirements, prompting public comment urging the district to preserve the current freshman computer-technology offering.
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Lisa Estupin told the board the district is preparing to offer an ethnic studies course aligned with health so ninth graders would take one semester of health and one semester of ethnic studies. She said the district must begin offering the course by the 2025–26 school year to meet the state requirement that graduates in the class of 2029 complete an ethnic studies course.
Dr. Estupin said the district collected survey responses from parents, staff and community members and is using those results and anecdotal comments to finalize five course units. She reported that 86.4% of survey respondents were parents or guardians and 13.6% were staff, and that respondents rated topics and types of activities that they would like included in the curriculum.
During public comment, computer-technology teacher Michael Vlach urged the board to consider the trade-offs of replacing the one-semester freshman computer‑technology course. "This course provides an insight into coding, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other advanced technology curriculum," Vlach said, and he described the set of computer and productivity skills freshmen currently learn, including touch typing, Google Docs and Sheets, slide design and an introduction to programming.
Parent Eden Lisonbee urged the board to review the implementation and suggested alternatives: making ethnic studies a graduation requirement offered as an elective so students could take it in any year, adding a seventh period or an A/B schedule, or following models in nearby districts that offer different approaches. "My concern more is that families currently today do not have a desktop computer or any sort of technology in their home besides an iPad or iPhone, which means it creates a gap of basic skills," she said.
Board members acknowledged the concerns and said the district is considering a broader college-and-career readiness plan that will be presented in June. Trustees invited community feedback as staff finalize scheduling and program proposals.
The ethnic studies presentation was informational; board members asked for and were promised additional data, including the total number of survey responses, at a future meeting.
