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Students, parents urge San Marcos Unified to keep Floral Design in FFA pathway
Summary
More than a dozen students and parents told the board that moving Floral Design from the agriculture (FFA) pathway into a CTE/business pathway would strip ~200 students of FFA access and related scholarships, competitions and leadership opportunities.
Several San Marcos High School students and parents used the public comment period Dec. 11 to press the board to retain Floral Design as part of the agricultural Career Technical Education (CTE) pathway and preserve access to FFA for horticulture‑interested students.
Laurel Mendoza and Charlotte Stone described hands‑on greenhouse work, internships and a horticulture pipeline and warned that removing Floral Design from the ag pathway would eliminate the only horticulture entry point for roughly 200 students and make those students ineligible for many FFA opportunities. Kate Foster, chapter president, urged trustees to vote no on any proposal that would remove Floral Design from the ag pathway, saying it would ‘‘fundamentally change the identity of our entire program.’’
Speakers emphasized Floral Design’s role in scholarships, leadership events and industry competitions; they also cited the program’s local partnerships and 50‑year chapter history. District staff answered questions about alternate horticulture classes and confirmed options (sustainable agriculture, AgBio, AgChem) exist, and said staff are working to provide expanded horticulture pathway options, dual‑enrollment courses and a fuller presentation to board members.
Boardmembers thanked students for their advocacy and asked staff to prepare more detail about pathways, staffing and how a business‑pathway change would affect FFA membership and funding.
