San Ramon Valley Trustees Eye Guardrails on Outside Courses, Not a Ban

San Ramon Valley Unified's Governing Board spent its Oct. 26, 2026, workshop on a question that touches thousands of transcripts: whether students should still be able to earn credit through outside, often online, courses. Ten educators, mostly teachers and counselors, lined up to criticize the system. Trustees took no vote but signaled they want limits on non-district courses while keeping flexibility for students.

---

• No decision yet: Staff will draft revision models for the 2018 non-district course rules and bring them back to the board.
• Ten educators testify that outside courses fuel grade inflation, equity gaps and lost sections.
• Superintendent CJ Cammack says enrollment, not outside courses, drives section cuts.
• Trustees split on history: were the 2018 initiatives about saving money or shrinking classes?
• Ideas include live-course rules for languages, DVC partnerships and a phase-in.

---

Teachers and Counselors Push Back

The basics: The district launched Personalized Learning Initiatives, or PLIs, in 2018 under Education Code requirements for alternative graduation paths. The changes cut graduation credits from 240 to 220, allowed flexible schedules of five to seven courses, and let students earn up to 40 credits through non-district courses, or NDCs. Staff said advancement was the leading reason students took outside courses. Geometry, economics, biology and Algebra 2 were the most common.

Why it matters: Nearly all of the public testimony came from district educators. They argued that a policy meant to offer flexibility has turned into a pipeline for unproctored, compressed coursework.

Where things stand: Jack Sarkani, a chemistry teacher, said unproctored online courses cause grade inflation and knowledge gaps. He called quality assurance the root issue and urged limiting NDCs to supplemental pathways. Kevin Gachard, a math teacher at Doherty Valley High School, said online math courses teach skills rather than concepts, which leaves students struggling in higher-level math.

Cal High counselors brought numbers. Kelly Falcone, speaking for the counseling team, said students who took precalculus outside the district accounted for 33% of AP Calculus AB drops and F grades but made up only 14% of enrollment. Becky Bellini, also a counselor, called for pre-approval and reasonable limits. She stressed that counselors were not asking to eliminate outside courses.

The other side of the ledger: Equity drew the sharpest criticism. Jesse Bailey, a teacher librarian at California High School, read a statement from Carrie Knapp. It estimated that families paid $2,563,960 across 25,246 assumed-paid forms, at about $260 per semester. Megan Sellers, an assistant principal at Doherty Valley High School, said the policies have not been reevaluated since 2018. She tied NDCs to registrar workload, remediation equity and teacher jobs.

World language teachers made up the largest bloc of speakers:

• Ashley Hoover of Doherty Valley called NDCs an equity crisis. She asked that students not take outside courses that their home school already offers.
• Leah Audi, a Spanish and AVID teacher at Monte Vista High School, said online courses undermine language programs and cost teaching positions.
• Allison Gardner cited 5,462 courses added to Doherty Valley transcripts since 2023.
• Spencer Erickson, a Gale Ranch Middle School Spanish teacher, read a letter from colleague Kristen Haynes. It urged limits on advancement credit, stricter accreditation standards and pre-approval.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: No action was taken. The testimony gives trustees a detailed list of proposals: home-site restrictions, pre-approval, stricter accreditation and a second look at GPA weighting. Families who pay for outside courses could see that path narrowed.

---

Superintendent Disputes Job-Loss Claims

Why it matters: Teachers linked NDCs to lost sections and positions. One cited an AP Spanish class that opened with 40 students. If outside courses are not driving staffing cuts, restricting them would not bring those jobs back.

Where things stand: Superintendent CJ Cammack said staffing is allocated by total school enrollment and that declining enrollment drives the loss of sections. "I don't believe that non-district courses are the driver of reducing sections," said Cammack. He acknowledged that NDCs complicate master schedules but said removing them would not add sections.

Trustee Jesse vanZee pressed staff on a 6,000-course figure raised in public comment, compared with the 3,128 courses in the staff report. "So where is that coming from? How is that being measured?" he asked. "I don't know where the 6,000 data is coming from," said Annabelle Herbert, an executive director with the district. She explained that the report drew on transcripts and that intent forms can outnumber completed courses.

Trustee Laura Bratt asked, "Do we have any information about whether that's actually reduced class sizes?" Herbert said the effects are hard to attribute but added, "We can certainly get that for you." Bratt also noted that counselors learn about completed outside courses only when school starts.

What's next: Staff committed to pulling year-over-year class-size data.

---

Trustees Disagree on Why PLIs Began

Why it matters: Commenters asked the board to be candid about its motives. Audi, for one, asked for transparency about cost savings. How trustees remember the original intent shapes how they weigh it against the unintended consequences.

Where things stand: Trustee Shelley Clark said her perception in 2017 was that the proposal was "mostly a cost-saving thing," and that the board examined the issue too late. Cammack said the initiatives produced no cost savings.

The other side: Trustee Rachel Hurd said the district never funded a seventh period, which made class size the central problem. "I really think it's important that we understand that it was class size that was the driver, not cost savings," said Hurd. She added that advancement became a goal when algebra moved from eighth to ninth grade.

---

Guardrails, Partnerships and a Phase-In

Where things stand: Herbert said accreditation is the only gate for outside courses. "So every course that goes on a transcript for us needs to be WASC accredited," she said, referring to the regional accrediting body. The district does no follow-up screening of learning outcomes, and only courses that meet graduation requirements must appear on transcripts. Trustees described the district as the most liberal among its neighbors. They noted that other districts restrict transcript credit, and that Palo Alto uses credit/no credit grading.

Ideas on the table included:

• Requiring live instruction for language courses
• Limiting outside courses that a student's home school already offers
• Free community college options through Diablo Valley College, or DVC
• Changes to how outside courses appear on transcripts

Clark asked how the district ensures rigor when students return from outside courses. Clark and Bratt raised free alternatives such as DVC partnerships. They noted that an earlier DVC summer geometry offering did not achieve equity. "But again, how do we do it in a safe and supportive way, right?" said Bratt.

The other side: Several trustees warned against eliminating choices for students who have already planned course sequences, and for those with specialized needs or interest in electives. "I do want those options to be available for the kids that are ready for them," said Hurd.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: "There's not a decision point in front of the board tonight," said Cammack. He summarized the board's direction as guardrails paired with avenues for flexibility. Staff will weigh equity, wellness and timing as they build options.

What's next: Cammack said he will work with the student board member, the Student Senate and Council PTA. "I really want to hear primarily how the students feel about this," said vanZee, who backed a gradual on-ramp for any change. Hurd and vanZee both said they regretted that no parents or students attended the workshop. The item will return to the board at a future meeting.

---

Minor Items

• The board accepted the workshop agenda by voice vote on a motion by Clark, seconded by vanZee; no tally was stated.

---

Looking ahead: Families planning course sequences should watch for the item's return. Staff are expected to bring revision models, class-size data and student and parent feedback.