Budget cuts and a decrease in the number of students taking physical education courses has resulted in changes to the proposed curriculum for the upcoming school year. Hoping to diversify, the PE department worked toward adding new courses.
Without enough awareness and support from students, the new dance class was discontinued and although weightlifting remains an offered course, it is only eligible for elective credits. Prior to the changes, PE teacher Michelle Bumbaca had hoped the new additions would spark students’ interest in physical education and provide them with different ways to be active.
“I was really excited about having new classes to add to our PE curriculum,” Bumbaca said. “At this age, many students already pretty much know the things they like and dislike, so I thought it would allow students to have more choice in their physical activity and bring more value to our program.”
The PE department had designed the new courses to cater to students’ interests and give them opportunities to participate in activities beyond the regular curriculum. Budget limits and enrollment criteria, however, determined which courses would be offered the next year.
“Unfortunately, our district is under a financial deficit where we are trying to make up money. Dance only had 20 students enrolled and because the class was not full capacity, which is 42 students, our admin chose not to let the class happen,” Bumbaca said.
With the course schedule for next year not being confirmed until later, neither are teacher positions. Bumbaca explained the uncertainty around staffing makes it hard to build interest or encourage students to enroll for new classes ahead of scheduling.
“If I knew I was teaching dance, I could say, ‘Hey, sign up for my dance class.’ But I didn’t know if I was teaching dance or weight training, so I couldn’t promote it in a way that could entice students to come take my class,” Bumbaca said.
In addition to changes to the proposed PE curriculum, some feel the current program lacks rigor, allowing students to achieve good grades with minimal effort. Junior Riley Scilingo noted participation varied widely among his peers, with many simply scraping by.
“Students for the most part do not take PE seriously at all, especially with the participation of a school sport giving students PE exemption,” Scilingo said. “They’re doing just enough to pass the class with a good grade and get their needed PE credits.”
Beyond student disengagement during class time, enrollment itself has also decreased. Many students have taken advantage of the new rule that was implemented this year, which allows participation in sports to count for PE credits. Students such as freshman Dyuti Batchu believe sports should continue to offer the exemption.
“Student athletes should be allowed to skip PE classes. The main purposes of a mandatory PE class in high school are to learn how to play with others on a team and to get physical activity,” Batchu said. “Playing a sport is basically a more intense level of this, making it fair for athletes to be exempted.”
Even if athletes are playing a sport or joining a no-cut one solely for gaining their PE credits, freshman Anirudh Chukka believes that it should be still considered as a substitute for PE classes because they participate and exceed the necessary amount of physical activity required by the school.
“They (student athletes) already get a lot of exercise during practices and games. School sports help students stay fit while also teaching teamwork, discipline and responsibility,” Chukka said. “Taking both PE and a sport can be repetitive and make student athletes more stressed and tired. Allowing them to skip PE would give them more time for academics or other important classes.”
Despite being unable to implement the new classes for the upcoming school year, the PE department is looking forward to reintroducing dance into the curriculum next year through early promotion and greater awareness. By advertising the courses sooner, the department is hoping to generate more interest and participation. Chukka believes that with a larger audience and support,implementing the new courses will bring a revival of participation in PE classes.
“I’m excited to see the school expanding its PE curriculum to provide a variety of options as the current curriculum is becoming outdated. Everyone has different ways of staying active, and these new classes are going to promote more students to participate in school PE,” Chukka said. “I hope the school works toward making fitness something we look forward to doing instead of just a requirement on our schedule just to receive the necessary credits.”