COAL TOWNSHIP - Enrollment at Northumberland County Career and Technology Center (NCCTC) has decreased from 323 to 106 in two years, and will be even less when a one-year, senior-only, full-day program is fully in effect next school year.
While the decrease is unavoidable with only one grade enrolled instead of three, some local school officials fear the school is losing too much enrollment, that some classes have too few students, and that further budget cuts may be necessary.
Enrollment projection: 57
One Shamokin Area school board member, in fact, has suggested the district cut its $1 million annual contribution to the career and tech school by as much as 40 percent, or $400,000.
The decision to change from having 10th, 11th and 12th graders attend half-day classes at the school to the one-year, senior-only program was approved by the school's operating agency in October 2009 and announced in March 2010. SUN Area Vocational-Technical School and Lancaster County Career and Technology Center are the only schools in the state to operate with that structure.
Beyond that, a declining population in the three sending school districts (Shamokin Area, Mount Carmel Area and Line Mountain) and opposition to the senior-only change by Mount Carmel Area (MCA) have contributed to the attendance decline. In the 2010-11 school year, approximately 20 MCA students attended Schuylkill County Technology Center, that switch only allowed because they could take courses there that weren't offered at NCCTC.
Currently, there are 106 students attending the vo-tech school, including 67 from Shamokin Area, 27 from Line Mountain and 12 from Mount Carmel Area, with the majority of the students being seniors.
The projected enrollment for next school year, however, is 57, including 32 students from Shamokin Area, 19 from Line Mountain and just six from MCA.
During the 2009-2010 school year, total enrollment was 323, including 203 from Shamokin Area, 61 from Line Mountain and 59 from MCA. In the 2010-2011, there were 181 students, including 111 from Shamokin Area, 41 from Line Mountain and 29 from MCA, the bulk of the students being juniors and seniors as the new format was phased in.
Each of the sending school districts is responsible for paying $10,031.53 per student. Allocations from the home school districts and grants obtained by the school are the only funding sources available.
Still best option
Despite the anticipated enrollment decrease prompted by the transition to the one-year program, some officials from the career-tech and sending schools remain confident that a senior-only, full-day program is the best option for students since it will provide a lot more instruction time in their chosen vocational field.
"We anticipated the lower enrollment numbers. But we believe the best fit here is the one-year, senior-only, full-day program," said James F. Monaghan, who was hired as administrative director at NCCTC in August. "The program has been developed during the past couple years by using SUN Area Vocational-Technical School as a model. Our teachers have done a great job in the transition process, and the board, superintendents, guidance counselors and sending school principals have been very supportive."
He added, "We are excited about next year and our faculty has pledged its support to make it work."
Although the new program is geared toward seniors only, Monaghan said exceptions will be made.
At an operating agency meeting earlier this month, the board agreed to allow a few sophomores or juniors at Mount Carmel Area to attend half-day sessions at the career-tech school. Monaghan said the same option will be made available to Shamokin Area and Line Mountain students if they request it.
"We always want to accommodate the needs of the students while being fiscally conscience with our spending, because we know the stress our home schools are under with budget constraints due to lack of state funding," Monaghan said.
Students more mature
The administrator said the one-year program will allow students to complete academic courses, standardized testing preparation and actual testing. He said students will be more mature since they are seniors and will be able to concentrate all day for one year on a specific trade or technical field.
The director pointed out there are job placement advantages to the one-year program, while students will be able to develop an identity within his or her chosen field.
Monaghan said students will still be given the opportunity to participate in their home school activities, including sports, band and other extra-curricular programs.
He said the school currently offers 12 programs including cosmetology, culinary arts, computer technology, child care and support services management, protective services, carpentry, electrical services, heating, air conditioning, ventilation and refrigeration maintenance, auto body/collision, auto mechanics, welding and health/medical assisting services.
The director said plans have been discussed to offer adult evening classes and training courses for displaced workers.
"We are looking for creative ways to generate revenue and accommodate the economic needs of area residents," he said.
Not enough population
Mount Carmel Area School Board Director Michael Rovito, who has been a member of the career-tech school operating agency for 16 years, said he foresaw the enrollment drop with the decision to go to a one-year program.
"Our school district officials were against changing the program from the start," he said. "Our vo-tech school is very important to the area, but we only have three sending school districts. SUN Area pulls students from more districts than us, but is still experiencing enrollment problems. I just don't think we have the population to offer a one-year, full-day, senior-only program."
Rovito said there are advantages and disadvantages to one-year and three-year programs. He said a one-year program will provide students with more hands-on training year-round, and stressed the importance of having a trade in today's society.
"The trade field is the way to go," Rovito said. "We need to promote the vo-tech school more to potential students and more importantly, to their parents."
More instruction
Line Mountain Superintendent Dave Campbell, who supports the new one-year program, pointed out the significant increase in instruction time students will receive attending trade courses for a full day year-round.
"The hours of instruction per day for our students will increase from 2 to 7, and that is very significant," he said. "Under the half-day program, our kids got anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 hours of instruction per day due to traveling. It just makes sense to go to a one-year, full-day, senior-only program. The old way just wasn't working in terms of instruction time."
Campbell noted recruitment of potential vo-tech students is ongoing and he's hopeful more students will enroll in the program in future years.
"Line Mountain has always and will continue to support technical education because it is very important in our community," he said.
Shamokin Area School Board Director Brian Persing, a 1978 graduate of the vo-tech school where he studied masonry, supports maintaining the school, but believes it needs to be promoted better by administrators and guidance counselors at the vo-tech and home schools.
Administrative cuts?
Persing said Shamokin Area is responsible for approximately 65 percent of the vo-tech budget because it sends the most students to the school among the three districts. He has made the suggestion of cutting the district's $1 million contribution.
"I'm concerned about operating a school that may only have 57 students next year," Persing said. "I believe there is too much fluff. We need to take a serious look at where we can make cuts. Why do we need a principal and director at the vo-tech school? The law says we only need a director."
Persing said vo-tech school principal Robert Beierschmitt earns a salary ($74,800) and benefits totaling $105,364, while Monaghan's salary ($86,500) and benefits total $119,425.
"We need to cut the budget," Persing said. "We might have to combine or close some shops. I don't want to do that if possible, but it may come to that."
Persing said there are certain classes like welding and culinary arts that are "holding their own" in terms of enrollment and being active in community projects, while others only have a few students.
"Everyone is not college material and people need to realize the importance of trades in today's world," Persing said. "When I went to school in the 1970s, vo-tech students were called 'shoppies' and looked down upon. But that stigma has been pretty much eliminated today. These kids need to realize that they can make a good living in the trade fields."