San Marcos Unified community presses board over plan to move floral design out of ag pathway
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Summary
Students, FFA leaders and agriculture teachers urged the San Marcos Unified board not to move floral design out of the agriculture CTE pathway; district staff said the proposal would create a business-focused, student‑run enterprise while still expanding horticulture and animal science offerings.
San Marcos — Students, teachers and agriculture-industry partners packed the San Marcos Unified School District meeting on Jan. 15 to oppose a staff proposal to reclassify the high-school floral-design class from the agriculture pathway to a new business/entrepreneurship pathway.
The complaint centered on the practical effects of the change: students and FFA leaders said removing floral from the agricultural pathway would reduce access to ag standards, industry certifications and FFA participation. "Floral design is not simply an art class. It teaches real agricultural skills, plant science, soil and crop knowledge, sustainability, business practices and hands-on problem solving," said Elena Barrera, a San Marcos FFA chapter treasurer. Students warned the move could close a pathway many use to complete capstone requirements and prepare for college or careers in agriculture.
District leaders defended the proposal as a way to expand opportunities. Nikki Durham, the district’s director of curriculum and instruction, said the new business pathway would use floral design as a vehicle for a student-led enterprise that could generate revenue and provide workplace skills and paid opportunities for students. "This is a business class with floral as the vehicle," Durham said, describing ties to FBLA and potential dual‑enrollment and industry-credit opportunities.
Teachers and industry supporters, however, argued the change would shift instructional focus and risk leaving students without credentialed instructors in floral. Crystal Thomas, an agriculture teacher who helped rebuild the district farm, told trustees that current ag teachers hold relevant industry credentials and that more than 150 California schools teach floriculture within agricultural CTE pathways. "Putting floral in a business pathway taught by a non-agriculture teacher risks lowering the quality of instruction for students who rely on those skills," she said.
District staff said the reorganization is not intended to shrink agriculture offerings. Officials noted plans to expand horticulture dual-enrollment (horticulture courses listed as 115 and 116 in the packet) across high schools and to create an Agricultural Innovation Center funded in part through the Golden State Pathways grant. Staff also said a pending teacher retirement factored into the staffing plan and that they do not expect reductions in agriculture staffing.
Trustees heard concerns about short-term effects on FFA chapter numbers and fundraising. Staff responded that FFA chapters can continue floral activities and fundraisers and that new horticulture science courses will provide additional entry points into FFA. "Students can still participate in FFA if they take horticulture or ag science; we expect multiple pathways to the same opportunities," Durham said.
No vote was taken; the item was discussed as information and will return to the board in a future meeting when course approvals are scheduled. The district said final course additions will depend on course‑selection enrollment targets and curricular approvals.
What happens next: the district will return the proposed retail floral and entrepreneurship courses for formal approval in February; if approved and found viable by enrollment, they would be added to the 2026–27 master schedule.
