State Senator Thomas P. Gaffey
January 29, 2010
State’s Vo-Tech Schools Target of “Institutionalized Bias”
A column by Senator Thomas P. Gaffey
As this year’s legislative session begins there is virtual consensus our state’s priority must be job retention and creation as we continue through extremely difficult economic times. Incredibly however, in this climate, Connecticut’s vo/tech high schools, a prime source for well-educated, highly trained, ready-to-work young people and a priority of mine for years, appear to have languished under the current administration.
It is counterintuitive to allow this lynchpin of economic development to waste away; my intention is to vigorously defend our vo/tech schools and programs this session and work to restore their viability. My great fear is that my efforts, already made difficult with limited funding, will be an uphill struggle against what sometimes seems like institutionalized bias.
Last year, Wright Tech in Stamford was targeted for outright closure, even though its students had no comparable alternative nearby and the community protested. Then, even before the school’s fate was determined, its faculty scrambled for new positions, effectively dismantling the program. Its operation is currently in limbo while an attempt to preserve it has been mobilized.
Serving greater New Haven, the 50 year-old Eli Whitney vo/tech school now shamefully features inadequate science labs and equipment, an ineffective heating and cooling system, and substandard restrooms and locker rooms. The legislature authorized renovation bonding in 2006 but the administration has not yet allocated the funds. In the meanwhile, the school thrives despite it all: officials cite a threefold increase in the six year-old culinary arts program as an example.
In eastern Connecticut, approved plans for an addition and renovation at the H.H. Ellis vo/tech school in Danielson date back to 2002, but a July 2009 status report still describes ‘bids being reviewed.’ Last fall it was brought to my attention that H.C. Wilcox vo/tech in Meriden didn’t have enough buses to transport students to their off-site job training commitments. I was incredulous: those placements are at the very core of the vo/tech system and were being ignored.
Making matters worse, the interim superintendent of the vo/tech system (yes, there isn’t even permanent oversight for this essential component of our public schools) wrote at the time any shortage of buses had not been brought to her attention.
I could go on with this evidentiary list; last summer the governor’s budget office was content to replace only half the vo/tech teachers who accepted terms of the state’s Retirement Incentive Program. I fought that then, because it would’ve rendered these vital learning centers—and their 10,000-some students—the devalued and overlooked step-children of our public school system.
The shortsightedness of this neglectful approach extends far beyond the obvious slight to worthy students in viable, albeit alternative, schools. These schools provide invaluable lessons, hands-on experience, internships and proficiency in a wide variety of trades and professions. The expertise acquired by students is an essential part of the well-educated, highly trained workforce we’ll need to move forward in Connecticut.
The high quality of our vo-tech trained workforce will attract new businesses to our state and convince existing businesses to expand here. Our economic recovery—our future—depends in part upon the well-prepared students in our vo-tech system. This is precisely the wrong time to ignore its needs.
With that in mind I recently convened an Informational Forum at which officials of the vo/tech system and the state Department of Education appeared before the Education Committee to answer questions about these and other reported shortfalls. Suffice it to say, our exchange was spirited and lively.
I remain hopeful that my voice, along with those of thousands of vo/tech students, parents, teachers, and administrators, will help our governor and her administration see the urgent need to restore and then maintain vibrant, well-funded vo-tech high schools for the future prosperity of our state.
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Senator Gaffey’s |
Listing of Senator Gaffey’s recent press releases and a Press Kit with official head shots and bio. |
Press Aide Laurence Grotheer |
