Board to vote on WACTC academics
The mention of “vo-tech” generally brings to mind images of table saws and soldering irons, but many forget Western Area Career and Technology Center in Houston also offers more traditional subjects such as math and science.
Members of a countywide board could change that, though. A joint operating commission – representing the nine school districts that send students to WACTC – plans to vote April 22 on a proposal to effectively eliminate the school’s academic subjects. If approved, WACTC would be forced to furlough three teachers, according to executive director Dennis McCarthy.
McCarthy said three full-time instructors who teach math, English and physics would be laid off if academics were to be eliminated. He said the academic classes are offered to students who want to attend a vocational program, but also need to make up credits in a core subject.
He said the elimination of academic programs would be a loss because the classes help students succeed in their vocational programs and in their professional careers.
“You need math for welding, machinery – all of those (subjects),” he said.
McCarthy said the three teachers have not yet been notified about the potential impact to their jobs because WACTC is still waiting on representatives from all of the participating school districts to vote on the matter at their respective board meetings. If the joint board moves forward with the proposal, McCarthy said a furlough letter will be sent to the three employees, and administrators will then discuss options with them.
Washington School District Superintendent Roberta DiLorenzo said the potential change to the academic curriculum is the result of having better options for students who need the alternative education. She said Washington students in the vo-tech program can take courses through online classes monitored by teachers or in summer school.
“We’re going to provide them the education, so let them get the full complement of their technical classes,” DiLorenzo said, adding academic classes take away from time during the day spent on vocational studies. “We want them to get the shop time and also complete their education.”
There are just under 500 students attending WACTC, including 23 from Washington High School. The district spends about $6,700 per student, said DiLorenzo, although she doesn’t expect that figure to decrease much by dropping the academic courses.
Canon-McMillan Superintendent Michael Daniels expressed similar sentiments and said students enrolled in academic classes at WACTC are needlessly pulled out of vocational programs.
“That’s not the idea of how that arrangement should be occurring,” he said. “When they go to vo-tech for their certification program, they (should) go there and stay there. And when they’re at school, they have their academics at school.”
In addition to Canon-McMillan and Washington, the participating school districts on the board are Avella, Burgettstown, Chartiers-Houston, Fort Cherry, McGuffey, Peters and Trinity.
Staff writer Mike Jones contributed to this report.