Tech schools could get new governing board, more funds
Windham Techical High School is one of the local tech schools that would come under a new board whose membership would include business leaders. With the new board would also come more funding to support new curriculum aimed at preparing students for high-tech careers. Photo source: Windham Technical High School
Connecticut’s technical high school system would get a boost in funding, a new board and programs more tailored to the needs of employers under proposals outlined Feb. 3 by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
This is the latest in a series of proposals announced by the Malloy administration as he gears up for a major address on education reform on Feb. 8.
The plan embraces several of the recommendations made in January 2012 by a Connecticut Technical High School System Task Force, which flat out rejected the notion of turning the schools over to the municipalities in which they are located.
That idea was an early cost saving measure proposed last year by the governor as he tried to seal the state’s budget deficit.
Instead, the schools – including Windham Technical High School – will remain under a single governance structure, but that would no longer be the state Board of Education.
Instead, an independent, 11-member appointed board would be established that includes four business executives, four members appointed by the state Board of Education, along with the commissioners of the education, economic and community development, and labor departments who would serve in an ex-officio capacity.
The governor would appoint the new board’s chairperson.
The plan also calls for the state Department of Education, in conjunction with other state agencies, to develop a strategic plan for the technical high schools.
“Turning the corner on decades of economic decline means we have to prepare our students for a successful future in the high-tech workforce and we have to create the skilled labor that Connecticut companies need to compete globally,” Gov. Malloy said in a prepared statement.
“When these reforms are in place, we will position our technical high school system to offer programs that are relevant for the high-tech jobs of today and tomorrow,” he said.
Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman said she expects to see the technical high schools do more to prepare students for careers in fields such as precision manufacturing, bioscience and fuel cells.
Commissioner of Education Stephan Pryor said the plan will invite investment in the system from the private sector.
The plan calls for an additional $500,000 in funding in the 2012-13 budget to increase the training resources and supplies for students.
There are 16 technical high schools with a total enrollment of 11,200 full-time high school and adult day students in Connecticut.
The state spends $169.7 million a year to run the schools, including employee fringe benefits.
Luis Bach, a lobbyist for the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA), said he is very encouraged by the proposals, since many CBIA members rely on graduates who come out of the tech schools.
“We see the governance board as a positive step toward making sure that the curriculum is streamlined and aligned with the needs of industry,” said Bach.
“Part of our unemployment problem in the state is we have manufacturers who have been ready to hire people but have problems finding the highly-skilled workers they need.”
Posted Feb. 5, 2012 – reposted via partnership with The Chronicle
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