Threat of Cuts to Career, Tech Classes Brings Supporters to WJCC Board

By Amber Lester Wednesday, June 02, 2010

The state of Williamsburg-James City County Schools’ career and technical programming dominated the school board’s Tuesday meeting.

Rumors that the division might make cuts to several programs, many of them falling under the career and technical (CTE) umbrella, brought parents and alumni out to speak before the board on the same night the division presented its application for CTE grant funds.

The division is reviewing the possibility some programming might need to be consolidated or eliminated due to low enrollment. The potential changes could affect programs including Family Consumer Sciences, Project Lead the Way and STEP, the Senior Transitional Educational Partnership. Executive Director for Secondary Education Dianna Lindsay said last week the division has not made any final recommendations about programming for next year; school board member Elise Emanuel said Lindsay had indicated Family Consumer Sciences courses could be consolidated to be offered only at Lafayette High School.

Barbara Simmons, coordinator for the CTE programs, presented the division’s application for the Carl Perkins Grant. The grant is used to support the five CTE programs: business, marketing, technology, health and science and Technical Cooperative Education. The division expects to receive $122,319.92 in grant funds.

The application requests funds for staff development, equipment updates, software license updates, promotional handbooks and more. Project Lead the Way is included in the grant application; the division will request $7,000 for software license renewals for the program and $3,000 for transportation costs to help students travel to CTE classes, including those offered in Project Lead the Way.

Project Lead the Way is a national program that prepares students for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In WJCC, five classes for the program are offered at Warhill High School.

Due to an earlier than anticipated deadline, the Perkins grant application appeared before the board prior to approval by the Career and Technical Education Advisory Committee. The board members were dismayed to find they would be approving the application without the committee’s recommendation and asked Simmons to be sure the committee approves the requests first next year.

“When we have a committee that’s supposed to advise us and then they haven’t approved the budget that we get, it seems backwards,” Emanuel said Tuesday. Because of the pressing deadline of June 15, the board went ahead and unanimously approved the request.

Earlier in the meeting, seven people asked the board to reconsider possible elimination of the STEP program at Jamestown High School. The STEP program is open to Jamestown seniors who have completed their required classes, except senior year English and government. The program allows students to alternate a week of work with a week of classes throughout the year. The students are able to pursue the careers they’re curious about, from cosmetology to photography to nursing. During class weeks, the English teachers and government teachers work to develop lesson plans that reflect the real world; students learn how to write resumes, draft business plans and invest stock.

The program might be recommended for elimination due to low enrollment. This year, the program has 21 students – the most in its four years, according to Horvath. At Tuesday’s meeting, former students, parents and a teacher told the board the program was preparing students for the real world in a way no other courses could.

Several of the students shared that they are still employed with the businesses they worked with through the course. In the program, students also visit the state capitol, meet with local business leaders and engage in mock interviews. Sky Shelton, a 2009 grad, said she believes the program should be mandatory. “I’ve made so many connections in one year that I think people twice my age haven’t,” she said.

STEP alumnus Josh Crowley wanted to learn more about a career in music and now attends the Berklee College of Music in Boston. “I believe it’s a program worth fighting for,” he said, encouraging the board to put their “creative minds together” to find a way to save it.

English teacher Shelia Glennon said her STEP students were more mature and better prepared for the real world than many of her other senior students at Jamestown High. She said eliminating the program would send the wrong message. “It sends the message to the community members that have been involved in it that we haven’t valued their contribution,” she said. “It’s very inexpensive. I’m not teaching any courses I wouldn’t be teaching anyway to be part of the STEP program.”

Three of the speakers said guidance counselors and the school did not adequately promote the program to students. “I had to fight very hard to get into the STEP program,” Shelton said. “My guidance counselor asked me if I was sure and said, ‘Aren’t you college-bound?’ I had to visit the guidance counselor five or six times before I was seen. I finally talked to Mr. Horvath, who then visited me five or six times.” She called Horvath the most proactive teacher she’s ever met.

During Simmons’ presentation, Larson asked to get a report on how the career and technical programs are promoted to students. “It would be helpful to know how the programs are marketed to the students and how the guidance office plays a role in that,” she said.

The board has not yet reviewed any recommendations from the division about programming changes.