Park and Horlick high schools brief Racine board on gains, attendance and discipline strategies

Park High School and Horlick High School presented updates to the Racine Unified School District Board of Education on Monday, showing pockets of academic progress and outlining strategies to support students.

At Park High School a student representative, Diana Flores, identified herself as “the secretary of LSU” (Latino Student Union) and described the club’s volunteer work, cultural events and outreach. School leaders reported a graduation rate cited at 81.3% for the previous year and said the school’s graduation rate has risen about 11 percentage points over four years. Presenters said 53.5% of students enrolled in at least one dual‑credit class last year and the school reported approximately 500 industry certifications completed; they also cited a 58% AP pass rate, 29 AP Scholars and a 100% AP Capstone pass rate. Park described a student advisory council and an ACT preparation plan for juniors, with practice tests scheduled ahead of the March ACT.

Horlick High School’s directing principal Danny Hernandez and academy assistant principal Taja White recognized the cross‑country team and then reviewed school improvement work. Hernandez reported “significant reductions” in learning‑environment incidents and office‑discipline referrals (ODRs) and said out‑of‑school suspensions have dropped substantially in the period shown on slides. Horlick attributed the trend to teacher-led instructional walkthroughs, expanded restorative practices, targeted advisories and an emphasis on attendance. Presenters outlined a school goal to decrease chronic absenteeism by 10 percentage points and said Horlick is targeting increased ACT participation (the stated goal is above 95% participation) while expanding access to rigorous coursework and daily math for students who need more support.

Board members praised the presentations and asked questions about sustaining gains, restorative practices and access to advanced coursework. One board member noted the district is still not meeting reasonable progress in math and reading across the district, a point Superintendent Gajewski reiterated later in his report.

What the schools said the district should do: expand access to rigorous courses rather than reduce rigor for students who are behind; build recovery systems for students returning after absences; and use teacher collaboration (PLCs) and data to monitor progress. Horlick emphasized individualized supports (social‑worker outreach, attendance teams, phone calls and house visits) for students with complex barriers to attendance.

What remains unclear: several numeric items were presented from slide decks and in spoken remarks (for example, ODR and OSS reductions were narrated in shorthand on slides); the board and administrators will likely follow up with detailed breakdowns and source files if reporters or the public request them.

Next steps: school administrators said they will continue monthly reporting to the board on student achievement metrics and will pursue the attendance and ACT participation targets outlined in their plans.