Gov. Jerry Brown of California is proposing to eliminate a second year of science from the state’s requirements for high school graduation.
The measure was included in his recently released budget request for the coming fiscal year, according to a story in The Reporter newspaper of Vacaville, Calif. The article suggests that the Democratic governor’s intent was to give school districts greater say in setting their priorities in spending state aid.
The story quotes officials from a couple of districts indicating that they had no plans to cut science courses.
In any case, the proposal may well face some stiff opposition, including from state Sen. Lois Wolk, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Government and Finance Committee.
“If anything, we should be going in the other direction,” she told the newspaper. “We’re falling behind in math and science. If we want to compete, we need students trained in math and science.”
According to the state’s department of education, to graduate currently in California, “a student must successfully complete at least two courses in science, including biological and physical sciences.”
The development comes as the Virginia state Senate recently voted overwhelmingly to eliminate 3rd grade standardized testing in both science and history.