Students could get option to re-do the school year under Fresno Unified trustee’s plan

Fresno Unified high school students could have a chance, if they choose, to re-do the 2020-21 school year next fall, giving them an opportunity to experience activities that aren’t possible during the distance learning era.

Whether that be going to prom, graduating in front of all your family and peers, being the captain of a sports team, or first chair of the school orchestra, Trustee Terry Slatic said, every high school student should have this option. More importantly, he said, this could give students who have been falling behind a chance to do better academically.

“This is designed for parents who are sitting there knowing their kids are falling behind,” Slatic told The Bee’s Education Lab. “If not interested, no one has to do this, but it’s there for you.”

Slatic’s proposed plan would allow any FUSD student in grades 9-12 to re-do this school year. If it passes, students who choose this route can’t stop attending their current virtual classes, Slatic said, and have to end the year with “reasonable” standing when it comes to attendance.

Grades the students receive the next school year will replace the grades the student had this year, he said. However some details still need to be fleshed out, and Slatic said he is open to ideas.

“Some contingencies may remain unconsidered and need to be figured out in real-time in a year,” he said.

The proposal hasn’t been discussed by the board, Slatic said, and the earliest it could be voted on is Jan. 27, although it is unlikely it will be that soon.

Return to classroom this spring not likely

Slatic said it also is highly unlikely that students will be back in the classroom before the end of the school year.

In November, FUSD announced students wouldn’t be phased back into classrooms until Fresno County reaches the orange Tier 3 in the state’s color-coded “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” of coronavirus measures and restrictions. The orange tier represents “moderate” risk levels for spreading COVID-19. To get to the orange tier, positive coronavirus cases would need to dip between 1 and 3.9 daily cases per 100,000.

Fresno County has remained in the purple Tier 1, the most restrictive tier, since Nov. 16. Positive COVID-19 cases in Fresno County continue to climb.

Distance learning has succeeded for some students, Slatic said, especially those in AP classes, but it has put many others at an academic disadvantage especially for the district’s Black and brown students.

Fresno Unified did an assessment on academic progress in October. According to i-Ready data collected from the district after the first quarter, Hispanic/Latino, African American/Black and Native American/Alaskan students in grades K-11 were less likely to be on grade level in reading and math.

The data found this school year 23% of students in grades 3-8 have “F’s,” a significant jump from the last school year, which was at 12%. Overall, fewer students are receiving “A,” “B” and “C” grades compared to the previous school year.

Many students in the district have struggled with connectivity and technology issues, especially those living in south Fresno, where bandwidth is weaker than other parts of the city.

How will FUSD manage influx of students if plan passes?

There are multiple ways the Fresno Unified School District can accommodate the extra students on campuses, Slatic said. However, those options cost money.

Out of the roughly 5,600 high school seniors, Slatic said he estimates about 10% will opt to re-do their final year.

Instead of having six periods a day, FUSD can go to eight, Slatic said. It would require teachers be paid for those extra periods, he said, and negotiations with the Fresno Teacher Association.

Out of the seven high schools in Fresno Unified, Slatic said, five are at about 99% capacity. Hoover and McLane are at about 80%, he said. The extra space could be utilized for those students who choose to re-do this school year.

“If we absolutely need to,’‘ Slatic said, the district can have 20 portables set up at high school campuses by September, which would add about 1,000 extra desks. The portables would go to campuses such as Bullard or Sunnyside that have the room.

It’s unclear how much money these options would cost the district. Although Fresno Unified, like every other school district in the state, lost millions of dollars after the pandemic hit, it has a financial reserve of almost 10% of its budget.

The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Read more from The Bee’s Education Lab on our website.

This story was originally published January 19, 2021 at 3:30 PM.