Utah State Sen. Chris Buttars thinks he has a cure for senioritis – eliminating 12^th grade from all high schools across the state. Senior year, he says, is good for “nothing but playing around.”

“Almost all the industrial world uses only 11 grades. Why do we use 12? The kids either got one foot in AP classes in college, or they're just running around taking P.E.,” Buttars told ABC News.

The senator proposed this move before the state legislature earlier this spring. He says it will help close Utah’s $700 million shortage in budget money by saving about $102 million a year.

“You're spending a whole lot of money for a whole bunch of kids who aren't getting anything out of that grade,” Buttars said. “It comes down to the best use of money.”

When reaction to Buttars’ plan skewed negative, he offered a different version; rather than eliminating 12^th grade altogether, make it optional for students who have completed a core number of credits. This would save the state about $60 million a year.

Strapped for cash

Money shortages have left school districts across the country facing many unpopular decisions.

In Kansas City, Missouri, the district voted recently to close 29 of its 61 schools to keep from going bankrupt. Administrators said the district was “spreading itself too thin” by maintaining 61 schools for a student body of less than 18,000.

At least 100 districts nationwide have instituted a four-day school week to reduce costs in areas such as   building utilities; custodial, cafeteria and substitute teaching staff; and fuel for buses. On the downside, shorter weeks mean longer school days, and extracurricular activities are curtailed or pushed back. Working parents have to make new arrangements for child care.  

Sen. Buttars has also proposed getting rid of school buses in Utah. He says it will save the state another $15 million.

But some still don’t view his plan favorably.

“A necessary grade”

The plan to eliminate senior year, or even make it optional, doesn’t sit well with many students, educators and parents.

J.D. Williams, a 12^th grader from Salt Lake City, told the Los Angeles Times  that he used senior year to work on his student newspaper, play lacrosse and take A.P. courses.

“Senior year hasn't been a waste for me," Williams said. “If you're the type of kid who will slack off, you'd find a way to do that in sophomore or junior year anyway."

John Balden, president of the Utah Chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, told ABC that Sen. Buttars’ plan was “shortsighted.”

“Students don’t just play in 12th grade,” he said. “They really do study. In higher education we find an awful lot of students unprepared for college. Twelfth grade is really a necessary grade.”

William Sederburg, Utah’s state commissioner of higher education, see it another way.

“The thing that Sen. Buttars tapped into,” he told the Los Angeles Times, “is that too many seniors take the senior year off.”

What do you think?

Should schools consider extreme measures, like eliminating senior year, when trying to balance their budgets? Do seniors in your school seem to be slacking off? Or is senior year valuable, and something you shouldn’t be rushed out of? Join the discussion and let us know what you think!

Related links:

• In Utah, a plan to cut 12^th grade – The Los Angeles Times, Feb. 15, 2010
• Utah Lawmaker Seeks to Eliminate 12^th grade– ABC News, Feb. 16, 2010
• Eliminate 12^th Grade? – CNN, Feb. 16, 2010
• KC superintendent says school closings are painful– Associated Press, March 11, 2010
• Schools’ New Math: The Four-Day Week – The Wall Street Journal, March 8, 2010