The Senate's budget includes a set of high school graduation requirements that could settle that issue, which the state has been struggling with for years. The proposal in the budget comes from a coalition of business groups, school districts and a charter schools organization.
Students could pick from options including 20 credits of coursework, good final scores on basic English and math tests, and college or career prep. That means at least two seals or endorsements from the state and local districts, in areas such as community service, workforce readiness, bilingual proficiency and military enlistment.
Republican Senate Education Chair Peggy Lehner says it’s a good plan.
“One size doesn’t fit all, and we should have a variety of different ways for a student to indicate that they’re ready to move on to the next phase of their lives,” she said.
Lehner says because of all the time spent discussing the issue and the widespread school and business support, she feels it has a good chance of staying in the final version of the budget. She says there was nothing on graduation standards in the House version.
