ROP: a program in peril

Lucas GodlewskiContributorFor almost 50 years, Samo’s Regional Occupational Program (ROP) has given students an opportunity to explore a number of pre-professional programs. Classes like Film and Video Production, Photography and Dance all provide an environment that can’t otherwise be found on a high school campus and has helped both alumni and current students expand their creative horizons. There’s no justifiable reason for why these opportunities shouldn’t be available to future students — yet they may not be.Two years ago, California Governor Jerry Brown changed the state funding formula for school districts. No longer are districts required to spend money on career and technical education classes, such as the ones that ROP provides. The district must now decide whether the ROP program has value for students.My own personal experience with ROP has been life-changing. Both Commercial Photography and Film and Video Production have allowed me to develop a strong set of base abilities. Because of these programs, I’ve stopped worrying about how to incorporate my interests into a paying career.These courses have provided me with the means to expand on a plethora of job-applicable skills, many of which I entirely owe to obtaining paid work in these fields.  For instance, the Education Foundation has commissioned me to shoot still photography and promotional video pieces for events like the Santa Monica RunFEST and the Annual Pier Party. Opportunities like these have allowed me to gain recognition as a working professional in the community and establish connections that will undoubtedly help me to pursue a career in photography or cinema.A vast majority of these marketable skills was learned in the process of collaborating with other students, made possible by the time and resources the ROP program has provided. Alumna Alana Feldman (’14), for example, is currently pursuing a career in the visual arts at Columbia University, a place that she says she couldn’t have reached without the immersive environment of Film and Video Production.“Before my involvement in ROP, college seemed like an immense step I wasn’t sure I’d be ready to take by the time I graduated,” Feldman said. “But there are students in much more dire situations, socioeconomically and academically, who have greatly improved their futures by taking ROP classes in high school and have even been able to gain employment straight out of high school due to their participation.”As Feldman pointed out, cutting ROP does more than just cause the loss of an amazing program, or take a learning opportunity away from students. It adds to the fact that students in disadvantaged families with lower incomes or students who don’t plan on pursuing the traditional four-year college path lose out on experience that would much better prepare them for life after high school.The college pathway is great for some — maybe even the majority — but it has changed drastically over the past several decades and often demands bank-breaking financial resources. ROPhelps many consider other options in education or advancement in a particular field, such as attending trade schools or immediately entering the workforce. Why do we exalt four-year universities even though, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 27 percent of jobs currently in the US economy require a college degree?The numbers of unemployed degree holders will continue to grow, especially if programs like ROP disappear in favor of promoting the four-year university route — students will no longer have another way to gain specialization or experience besides paying outrageous amounts of money for degrees that may or may not actually be necessary. This continues to favor those with economic advantage and further disadvantage those with lower incomes: how are people supposed to compete when it comes down to money? ROP balances the scale and allows any student to be confident in entering the workforce — whether it’s four years or four months after they say goodbye to Samo.This comes down to more than rerouting funds or losing an incredibly important pre-professional program. It’s a commentary on what our society places value on and the fact that while students are encouraged to create the life they want to, some options might no longer have a chance. If you put money into college, chances are that students won’t really have a choice but to follow the money. ROP is both an amazing creative outlet and a program that acts as a real opportunity — maybe the only opportunity — at a successful career for a sizable population of Samo students.The uncertain future of these enlightening programs have caused considerable distress throughout the ROP community, and as more than 600 students continue to enroll in courses for the coming year, I’m deeply saddened to consider this loss of variety in Samo’s curriculum and the loss of opportunity for Samo students. Whether you’re a student, parent or teacher, if you’ve ever attended a Dance Showcase, Student Film Festival or passed by the Robert’s Art Gallery, you’ve witnessed the work of the ROP program and benefited from it yourself. This is more than a loss for Samo — it’s a loss for the entire community and a move that could devastate the futures of hundreds of students.Write a letter, send an email, or make a quick phone call to the SMMUSD school board in support of ROP, Samo. It’s a program that has inspired and assisted students for the past 50 years, and we as a school need to make sure it sticks around for (at least) the next 50 years.