Boards talk vo-tech

School officials presented an initiative to develop the county's career and technology education program at a May 26 Orange County Board of Supervisors meeting, bringing county officials up to speed on the state of current courses and classes, and outlining objectives for the future.
Interim Orange County School Superintendent Larry Massie addressed county officials to "start the conversation" about the possibility of enhancing career and technical education offerings for Orange County students. According to Massie, in addition to requests and reports from staff and faculty, the students themselves had expressed a need for expanded career and technical training opportunities and facilities.
And, Massie added, "Enhanced career and technical opportunities are something I think could be a positive force in economic development."
According to U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics data, service-based occupations are among the fastest-growing in the country, Massie said. And according to numbers from the Department of Education, enrollment numbers are steadily on the rise for training and courses like nursing, food preparation, home care, health care, software engineering, childcare, cosmetology and building trades, agriculture and veterinary assistance, he added.
Orange County High School Principal Gene Kotulka explained that among seniors, a third intend to go on to a four-year college or university, another third plan to attend a two-year college or trade school after high school, and the remainder of graduates are either undecided about their post-graduate plans, or intend to join the military.
But here in Orange, there's no room-literally-to expand current course offerings to meet current demand.
Space is at a premium over at OCHS, in regular academic classrooms and everywhere else. The school operates on an "every nook and cranny" system, according to Linda Carlton, director of secondary education, and relies on infinite precision and organization to create space for the growing student body and its needs.
With more classroom space to educate the rising tide of demand for instruction in subjects like nursing and software engineering, classroom space for academics classes like algebra and English would become instantly less crowded, Kotulka said.
According to Carlton, it's costing money to provide technical training beyond what's available at OCHS. There are costs associated with relying on neighboring localities' facilities for providing instruction in career and technology education. There's tuition paid to Germanna or Piedmont community colleges, for example, or to neighboring school districts with greater course offerings or capacity, or with specialized classrooms. Carlton said the total for the last two years' 41 career and technical education course tuition was $112,000. Expenses associated with transporting students off campus were $26,000, to say nothing of the cost of missed school time while students were back and forth to George Washington Carver Piedmont Technical Education Center.
Without a space, or at the very least a plan to strengthen current programs and courses of study, the ever-growing number of students enrolled in career and technical education classes (including 60 percent of the total student body in the 2009), were going to find it increasingly difficult to round out their class schedules. Already, Carlton said, course levels weren't complete or didn't exist for cosmetology, building trades, criminal justice and automotive mechanics, among others. In the last two years, 28 students had to travel off campus, at a cost to the school system, for advanced level classes in cosmetology, carpentry, automotive technology.
Current OCHS senior and cosmetology student Lauren McClung explained her experience to county officials. While she firmly believed technical education afforded an immeasurable benefit to students and the community, she said, completing her course work and requirements was complicated by having to travel to other school districts for cosmetology classes beyond what was available in Orange.
McClung said she found that she was often late for class by the time she'd completed her commute back to Orange. And, she added, students may find their out-of-pocket costs prohibitive after adding up program fees and state board fees.
Developing a close-by or onsite center for culinary arts classes, or for cosmetology or automotive repair, Carlton explained, could prove to reduce costs substantially. Savings would come in dollars by educating students in-house, and in hours by eliminating travel and transportation expenses. Better still, she said, are potential partnerships with other districts, to offer broader availability, split the costs of courses and swap students and staff as needed.
The use of a commercial kitchen for culinary arts classes could mean that students could gain practical experience and even earn a return on investments by operating a catering business. Likewise, students who are learning carpentry could sell a house they built in class.
But now, Carlton said, "We're limited by the career and technical education experiences that we can offer to our students."
As it is, OCHS students can choose from courses in agriculture; business and marketing; family and consumer sciences (including classes in fashion design, early childhood, education, nutrition, culinary arts and health and medical sciences); technology education (including classes in drafting, and computer-animated design); trade and industrial education (including classes in computer configuration, tech support, aircraft pilot training, firefighting, carpentry and cosmetology).
"We're not asking for any money at this time," District 2 Orange County School Board Member Judy Carter explained to supervisors. Instead, Carter said she hoped to get a "nod of approval" for a study to determine the career and technical education needs of Orange County students, and how a center might benefit Orange and surrounding counties.
"We feel very strongly that this is something we need, even without a study," Carter said.
District 4 Supervisor Teri Pace didn't argue the value of offering technical instruction, but said any action the county takes towards expanding current programs must be scrutinized carefully for cost effectiveness.
District 3 Supervisor Teel Goodwin said he supported a study, and said there were benefits to educating tomorrow's workforce locally, instead of transporting them out of the county.
"I think it's a great idea," Goodwin said. "If we send them somewhere else to train, they'll end up working somewhere else and then we've done nothing for the local economy."
District 2 Supervisor Zack Burkett endorsed school officials' initiative, citing the potential offset of costs that could be created by students who offered their practical experience-such as auto repair-at a low cost to community members.
Without dissent, supervisors agreed to grant their "nod of approval" for the school board's study of students' career and technical education present and future demand and resources.