The Register reported this morning how Santa Ana Unified board members will likely vote on whether to reduce the credits students need to graduate from high school. SAU graduates currently need to complete 240 credits to graduate, and it’s being proposed to reduce it to between 220 and 230.

My first thought was that they’re making a move to make it easier to graduate in order to boost their number of graduates — after all, the article states that SAU had the lowest number of graduates in the county in 2008. However, it’s also interesting to read that SAU’s credit requirement is less than Irvine Unified’s, which is currently the lowest in the county at 215 credits.

I suppose the important thing is whether graduates are really getting quality support and education, despite the number of credits. If I were a parent of a student in SAU, I would want to know what classes will be cut or turned into electives; even with the reduced number of credits, will my kid come out with a well-rounded education from classes in math, science, history, language, art, music, and health? However the vote turns out, I hope the board always keeps the kids in mind, and not necessarily their statistics and standings.