Chico High School’s graduation rates have risen in the last five years despite losing 28 percent of its faculty, including the school’s principal.
The new principal, Mark Beebe from Natomas High School in Sacramento, was hired last year, and said he thinks the recent faculty reduction was necessary.
I believe that schools exist for education, safety and to develop students as a well-rounded individual. We plan to facilitate that here,” Beebe said.
What Has Changed
The school has retained 70 of its original 90 teachers and has a graduation rate of 90 percent, compared to the district average of 83 percent. The school’s population of 1,776 students has not seen significant change during the five-year period, although the district’s total population has risen by 5 percent.
The recent staffing deduction over the last five years has increased the student to teacher ratio from 18:1 to 25:1. While class sizes are getting larger, Stephanie Kittmer, the parent of a sophomore at the school, said she thinks the school is becoming more effective in reaching out to its students.
“The class sizes really aren’t a problem. My son feels like the teacher cares about his performance and he’s doing well because of it,” Kittmer said.
Current Benefits
Chico High School’s test averages easily outpace the state averages, with an average score of 71 percent in English and 44 percent in math,compared to the state average of 44 and 33 percent, respectively. Chico High School's SAT average of 1600 is also significantly higher than the state average of 1487.
Five years ago, Chico High School’s English and math scores were 64 and 40 percent respectively, and their average SAT was 1563. The school's graduation rates during this time were about 86 percent, according to the California department of Education and the National Center for Education Statistics.
The school has pushed for Advanced Placement courses during this time, with 21 percent of its students registering for these classes. The AP registration now exceeds the state average of 16 percent.
Catherine Parker, a junior at Chico High School, said she thinks the school's emphasis on state tests and AP courses has recently changed.
“It was a big deal, but we weren’t spending a lot of time on it. Now our teachers talk about AP all the time and give us SAT practices,” Parker said.
The Results
Although test scores and graduation rates are up, not all members of Chico High School feel that cutting staff has been effective. Rich Kemp, a teacher at Chico High School, said he thinks the reduction in faculty has hurt the school.
“You have more kids in the classroom and less one-on-one time. We need more people, but we need dedicated people,” Kemp said.
The improved SAT, English and Math proficiency scores have increased the school’s college-readiness index to 39, compared to the district's average of 37.1.
Beebe said he will continue getting rid of dead weight on the staff because the results have been positive.
“We don’t need people who go through the motions every day. We need teachers. We are most concerned on whether our students are successful,” Beebe said.