Parents and teachers press Sequoia Union board to restore honors classes and sharpen strategic-plan metrics

Community members and district staff sparred Wednesday night over whether the Sequoia Union High School District’s strategic-plan update accurately measures progress and whether honors-level courses removed from multiple sites should be restored.

During public comment, several parents and teachers asked the board to place restoration of honors English, biology, chemistry and physics on a future agenda for vote, arguing the district’s adopted 2024–27 strategic plan promised to expand availability of rigorous coursework but the update presented on Wednesday focuses on outcomes for students already enrolled in advanced programs rather than measuring access. “Three of your four metrics are going in the wrong direction,” parent Christine Arnold told trustees, and she pressed the district to show enrollment by race and ethnicity for advanced-course access rather than only exam pass rates.

District presenters led a 27‑slide progress update covering goals on belonging and safety, academic growth, advanced coursework and English‑learner reclassification. Dr. Diana Wilmont, who presented academic results, said the district saw notable growth in some indicators: AP-preparedness rose from 57.4% to 63% under one state definition, and the number of students taking AP exams increased, notably among sophomores. She also acknowledged data timing and denominator issues and a few errors in baseline calculations that staff corrected during the presentation.

Parents and members of the community pushed back that the slides did not address a central promise in signature strategy 2—the expansion of access to rigorous courses for students based on readiness and supports. Diana Blum, who said she served on the core planning team that helped draft the strategic plan, said removals of honors classes occurred before the plan was adopted and asked the board to “agendaize a discussion and vote on restoring these courses for 2026–27.” Several speakers said the honors removals had occurred quietly and that the plan’s metrics do not capture whether previously offered mid‑level honors courses—described as the “middle rungs” of the ladder to AP—were being restored.

Trustees pressed staff for more granular data. One trustee asked for a breakdown of who is taking AP courses to determine whether increased AP participation is broad‑based or concentrated in specific student groups. Staff said they would provide subgroup breakdowns and noted that a fuller attendance report and other drilldowns are scheduled for future meetings, including an attendance presentation on Feb. 11.

Board members and staff also discussed the complexity of the state’s college-and-career ‘prepared graduates’ indicator and Career Technical Education (CTE) pathway definitions, which combine several criteria (course completion, assessment levels and college coursework). Presenters said state definitions have shifted year to year, complicating comparisons, and trustees asked the district to add locally meaningful CTE measures such as completion rates or certificates.

The board did not take a vote on restoring honors courses at the meeting. Trustees asked for follow-up data and recommended the district return with clearer subgroup analyses, recommended local CTE metrics, and a plan to align reporting dates and baselines in next year’s update.