Capital School District narrowly votes to move ahead with a plan to implement new state requirements for financial literacy and geography classes.
An implementation plan proposed by district officials met with opposition this month. The plan would combine geography and political science in the 9th grade year and economics and financial literacy in tenth grade. The previously-required 9th grade world history class would become a senior-level elective.
Some board members balked at the idea, saying students need world history before US history to provide necessary context. The board postponed action to give district officials time to answer questions and possibly tweak the plan.
But last week Dover High School Principal Shawndell Solomon presented the same plan, saying any tweaks, like making financial literacy a stand-alone half-credit course and raising the number of credits required to graduate, just complicates scheduling.
“With 400 plus students having to take the course at the same time, these holes would become unmanageable and finding something to pair that half credit with would cause many scheduling issues and conflicts," she said.
Some board members expressed concern about world history becoming an elective, a concern echoed by Dover High School history and social sciences department head Tom Leighty.
“With students from all parts of the world and religions walking around Dover High School, the idea of maybe ignoring them by not having world history just drives me insane and drives my colleagues insane," he said.
The vote to move ahead with the proposal passed 3-2. The changes will begin next school year. That year’s freshman class is the first under the new requirements.
SOQ
