Is High School Technical Education May Be Doomed?

By Joanne M. Haas

Technical education is in serious trouble in Wisconsin's rural public schools as the result of school district revenue controls, the high school graduation test, and a shortage of instructors.

That is according to someone on the front lines - Tom Martin, now in his fourth year teaching tech Ed at River Ridge High School in the state's far southwestern corner.

"The politicians promise we'll have lower tax rates, but something has to be cut," Martin said. "There is never any consideration to an increase in the vocational area."

Revenue controls are having a major impact throughout the state on many educational programs, including art and music, as well as extracurricular opportunities. Small schools such as the 260-student River Ridge High School near Prairie du Chien are hit the hardest - with little ability to absorb the cuts or to make any gains under revenue caps, which are tied to enrollment. "We're in the middle of a cornfield," Martin said.

"We're really small. We have a certain amount of students. We'll receive a certain amount of money."

Martin said that during a visit to Milwaukee schools, he saw well-equipped tech Ed classrooms with impressive opportunities for tech Ed students.

"You have such a disparity," he said, adding it seems the closer you are to Milwaukee the more schools have. "And the farther you are away, the less you get.

"I would like to play ball on a level playing field," he said, stressing the students in his small, rural district deserve the same chances as their urban and suburban peers.

He said he teaches his 60 or so students with minimal equipment.

Martin said the lack of resources and support is making it nearly impossible for him to meet the needs of the students - and of the business community.

He gets telephone calls from area industries and parents asking for more from the technical education department. But spread thin teaching six classes, including English, there is only so much he can provide.

"There is a great need," he said. The chair of the Senate Education Committee, Sen. Richard Grobschmidt of South Milwaukee, hears about school cuts statewide every week.

"I do see a relationship between the difficulty in providing tech Ed classes and the revenue caps," Grobschmidt said. "Tech Ed is a higher cost item. Not only because of the capital costs, but it tends to have a lower teacher-to-student ratio.

"So, as school districts need to comply with revenue caps, they sometimes are forced into cutting education programs. Tech Ed happens to be in that category, and it is really unfortunate," he said.

It's also bad for the state's economy, in light of the themes heard touted by many at the Wisconsin Economic Summit, held in December in Milwaukee. One loud cry was the need for Wisconsin to work harder at recruiting and then retaining technically skilled workers.

That is difficult when budgets are cut and the program is identified as a low priority.

Seeking revenue cap flexibility

Grobschmidt said he will work in the new legislative session that begins in January to provide school districts with flexibility under revenue caps. For example, he said, under the current revenue cap structure, school districts are taking money out of educational programs, including tech Ed, to cover the sharp increase in fuel costs.

"Some districts may not have budgeted for the (increased) fuel costs. Plus, if we have an average or colder than average winter, school districts will be facing severe (budget) cuts," he said. "I will be addressing the effect of revenue caps and how we can provide some flexibility. And the area of tech Ed has been brought to my attention several times as an area that needs revenue cap flexibility to ensure we continue tech Ed programs.

"Our economy depends upon the technically trained workforce," he said. The impact of standardized tests Martin sees another problem for tech Ed when it comes to the increase in standardized testing, particularly with Wisconsin's new high school graduation test.

"Half of our students are going into skilled trades, yet there is no emphasis on the skilled trades (in the test)," Martin said.

The test, Martin added, also does not recognize skills that require the ability to work with others and develop social skills. "We do many group things," he said of his tech classes. "It is learning how to work with people."

Martin said by putting dollars and time into teaching to a politically popular test geared for college-bound students, those students interested in skilled trades or farming are being shortchanged.

In fact, he said, tech Ed should be emphasized as an area that incorporates and applies the core curriculum.

"Our area is the application area, where the math you learn makes sense," he said.

Finding more teachers

Compounding the problems of funding and priorities is an impending shortage of tech Ed teachers.

"A number of our technically trained employees will be retiring over the next five to 10 years, and we do not have the number of employees to fill those vacancies," Grobschmidt said.

"Down the road I look for our shortages to increase as technology teachers retire," said Vern Jordan, who has been teaching tech Ed at Fort Atkinson High School for 30 years. "The largest group will go in my age group, in the next 3 and a half to 6 years."

Jordan said there is a substantial number of tech Ed teachers operating with an emergency license while working to earn certification.

One such example is Martin himself. Certified as an English history teacher, Martin moved to the tech department for a year trial believing he would return to his field the following year.

But he realized he liked the department and is in his fourth year.

"There are quite a few of us trying to secure our certifications," he said.

Some are finding it difficult since Platteville and Stout are the only two University of Wisconsin System campuses offering tech Ed certifications.

"This is an area that needs to be addressed," Grobschmidt said. "A number are retiring and also a number of the younger teachers are being lured away with higher salaries into the private sector."

Grobschmidt said UW-Stout recently added distance-learning classes, eliminating the need to travel to campus. Grobschmidt said one answer may rest with copying two Milwaukee-based programs. One is the Milwaukee Teacher Education Center, which provides alternative paths to certification for those with bachelor degrees and the ability to work with the Milwaukee Public School District in a type of apprenticeship program. Another program that transitions people from current occupations into teaching is funded with a federal grant at the National-Louis University campus in Milwaukee.

Advocating for tech Ed

Fort Atkinson's Jordan, president of the 1,400-member Wisconsin Technology Education Association, understands Martin's concerns and stresses teachers also must get involved and be vocal.

"The individual schools and their boards treat tech Ed differently, and that's where technology Ed teachers have to be involved with what's going on in their own districts and be proactive," Jordan said. "You've got to take a look at how you can integrate and improve your classes, showing how they support the core areas.

"Sometimes, we are our own worst enemies in that we don't promote enough of our areas," he said.

Jordan's department, which includes four teachers with five classes each at the high school, has been at a zero increase for years with no dollars for capital. He remains grateful for the support the district has provided, but he has had to go to the community for donations of materials and equipment. The district enjoys a partnership with the Madison Area Technical College for machine use in exchange for high school lab use for college night classes.

Jordan believes parents and students are not hearing about technical education career choices.

"We're going to certainly have to find some types of partnerships that will help get these kids involved at an early age," he said. "We'll need more help from business and industry if the labor shortage continues in our skilled trade areas."

Lack of resources for high school tech Ed is having a direct impact on businesses. Last summer in Hartford, for example, the area development corporation asked the school district to seek voter approval to expand the tech Ed department to meet a local worker shortage.

Martin said schools, working with the state and private industry, can resolve many of these problems and help guide interested students into the skilled and technology trades in dire need of laborers.

For information about the Wisconsin Technology Education Association, visit www.wtea-wis.org.