As San Benito High School trustees this week reviewed the summer school program, the attrition rates – or percentage of students that dropped out – was higher than the goal.
The program had a goal of keeping attrition below 10 percent in the first semester and 12 percent in the second semester, but it actually had a 19 percent attrition rate in the first semester and a 17 percent in the second semester, according to numbers presented at Wednesday’s board meeting.
“Do you have any sense of the people who drop because it’s three absences?” said Trustee Bill Tiffany, who referred to the program’s policy of dropping students that miss more than three classes.
Trustees and staff also commented on the size of the program, which offered 32 academic sessions this summer including algebra, U.S. history, biology and chemistry classes.
“This is a pretty big summer school compared to anything I’ve seen around,” said new principal Todd Dearden, who came to the campus from Sonora last spring.
The program is large not just in class offerings, but also in size. On the first day of summer school, 985 students came to class, but just a dozen days later only 791 students were present. The second semester of the same program showed a similar pattern of fewer students as classes continued with 746 students present the first day and 614 in attendance just 12 days later.
Superintendent John Perales suggested that the summer offerings should include not just remedial classes but a few courses for students who want to get ahead in their studies. He suggested the district switch out a few remedial classes for additional enrichment classes.
“What I’m saying is we don’t always have to increase and throw money at stuff,” he said. “Maybe just balance it.”
