Voting for next year’s schedule for San Luis Obispo High School ended January 18. Those who were part of the teacher’s union were included in the vote, with forty-five in support of the trimester schedule and twenty-three in support of the Modified Block schedule. In addition, some SLOHS students voiced their support for the trimester in a small walk out that took place on January 17 during fifth period.
“I don’t really care what [the protesters] think because what do they know? You guys only know a couple of things about this… This is something I’ve been thinking about for five years. If you are going to walk out, know why you’re in support of the trimester system. Make sure you’re educated,” said teacher Jim Johnson.
What are the key issues that the protesters care about? I talked to senior Kaz Bishop to get his perspective.
“The trimester system has enabled me to do a lot of the electives that I wanted to do. Tech’s been a really big part of my life. The block schedule like they have in Morro Bay is really restrictive on these. About three days a week you would get your electives for an hour, so it really cuts down on elective time as a whole,” said Bishop.
This was similar to some of the concerns voiced by teachers.
“I voted for the trimester schedule because it gives the students more options, and I think it’s the perfect class period length,” said woodshop teacher Jed Bruington. However, there are some teachers that are in strong opposition to the trimester.
“For all the classes I teach, trimesters are heinous,” said Johnson.
It is true that many of the classes on campus were not designed to be taught in a single trimester.
“The trimester system is hard on some of the departments, but I think it is a good compromise… Overall, I think it is best for our students,” said auto teacher Jeff Lehmkuhl. As it stands right now, It seems what is best for the students is being left to the teachers and ultimately the superintendent to decide.
“The teachers should have a say, but the students should have a say as well; this is why we have Associated Student Body (ASB),” said Bishop.
