After much debate between parents, teachers and the school board, the Redondo Beach Unified School District has decided to withdraw its intent to pursue the designation of Redondo Union High School as a World School within the International Baccalaureate program.
The decision was announced at Board of Education meeting Tuesday night.
“This decision has been made with great consideration,” said Annette Alpern, RBUSD assistant superintendent. “A number of complex factors had to be taken into account, mainly our dwindling state resources and the readiness factor of the school.”
The IB program is a much-lauded diploma program in which students enroll in a rigorous, interdisciplinary curriculum that emphasizes in-depth research, writing, theory of knowledge, and a more global perspective.
Earlier in the year over fifty teachers from RUHS stormed the school board to protest the implementation of the program.
Their objections included scheduling concerns, the cost of the program, and a lack of teacher input during the implementation process. The teachers also argued that Advanced Placement coursework already serves high achieving students and the IB program did not address the urgent needs of less high achieving students.
The program did, however, gain support from some teachers and parents.
Jackie Ealy, a parent, felt that in the long run the IB program would be beneficial to the school, both financially and in a global economic sense.
“I think it would make people more excited about Redondo Union High School,” said Ealy. “I also think that in an increasingly global climate, we need as many opportunities as possible to help our kids see the world not only as Redondo Beach.”
Superintendent Steven Keller said that decision to put IB “on hold” does not preclude the district from pursuing the program in the future when the school and the teachers are in a better position to implement it.
“We are currently working on a plan of progress that is more immediate and organic within the system, something that can bring our beautiful 21st century looking school really and truly into a 21st century learning environment,” Keller said.
