The Wenatchee School Board voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve an application to request a two-year waiver in meeting the state CORE 24 requirements. Because of lack of classrooms and increased requirements that are mandated by CORE 24, the district needs more time to fully comply, according to a Wenatchee High School assistant principal.

Under the current plan for CORE 24’s implementation, students in eighth grade this year in the Wenatchee School District would have an increased number of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) credits, but a decreased number of fine arts credits.

“Part of our desire [in meeting the specifications] is to apply for a two-year waiver. It will allow for more time to prepare [to meet CORE 24 requirements],” said WHS Assistant Principal Dave Perkins, who led the effort.

If Wenatchee School District’s request for a waiver is approved by the Washington State Board of Education at its meeting in Pasco May 13-14, the waiver will extend the requirement to be met by the Class of 2021, which are current sixth graders. Other schools in Washington have also requested the waiver, which the state board will consider at that meeting.

According to Perkins, the additional credits needed to meet CORE 24 requirements would add several science classrooms, a problem that WHS is already facing in regards to meeting the demand for classrooms and teachers.

The current schedule only allows for exactly 24 credits to be earned, leaving little room for failure. If WHS were to keep the current six-credit-per-year schedule, it would have to collaborate with the middle schools in order to offer more opportunities to earn high school credits in middle schools, Perkins said. WHS would also need to “bundle” credits, giving students the opportunity to earn two credits in one class.

With the addition of more STEM credits, fine arts will take a cut, especially with the six-credit-per-year schedule.

“CORE 24 limits what we can do to adjust schedules. Collaborating [with the middle schools] will give breathing room for students and the arts,” Perkins said.

The application for the two-year waiver also said the district was requesting it because “[WHS] is at its maximum building capacity… In order to accommodate increased credit requirements in science, the school district requires time to assess and develop solutions to expand building capacity.”

The district also wants more time to “understand and develop the ‘personal pathways requirements’ for students,” the application said.

“We need to be as prepared as possible,” Perkins said. “[CORE 24] will be a big change.”