I loved my metal working class (like molten metal sand-casting) from middle school in 1964. It helped me - not become a machinist/metal worker but an R&D engineer. I already knew the ropes when I had to take 'entering grad student self-help metal shop' in the Physics Dept. at UC Santa Barbara a dozen years later. My nephew used his 2000 high school auto-technology class - as practical experience for his UC Berkeley Civil Engineering degree.

Is this a segregation-in-education "track"? Let's see, are there < 10% of students (I in 20) from Los Altos or Los Altos Hills? Or is the class >50% Latino and Economically Disadvantaged from the 101 corridor of Mountain View? Hint: the ratio of LASD to MVWSD students is about 1:1 in MVLA HSD.

If this class is filled with 'family immigrated to Americas 20 centuries ago', or "family immigrated 20 to 200 years ago" you will see one answer to the question. California has done "quite a job" in suppressing the intellectual/economic achievements of Hispanics/Latinos since Admittance Day in 1850. How 'bout we not continue?

SN is NOT a trustee of the high school district.

Segregation? These kids are going to a high school in Mountain View. They can take all the AP classes they can handle. Denying them the ability to take auto shop if they so choose would perpetuate more historic injustices than it solves.