Shapiro administration visits vo-tech to talk benefits, challenges
Members of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, representing Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration, toured Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School on Friday, June 2, discussing the benefits and challenges of the growing program.
Dr. Jeffrey Fuller, deputy secretary of elementary and secondary education, said the department had been touring a number of technical schools throughout the state. The tour comes ahead of Shapiro’s proposed 2023-24 budget — which includes a $17.3 million increase for career and technical education.
“This is our first official visit to Butler, although I’ve been here before when I was assistant superintendent at Seneca Valley,” Fuller said. “So, I’m familiar with the site, but that was a number of years ago, and there have been some great improvements over the course of the last several years.”
The students, he said, always amazed him at technical schools.
“I’m just so impressed by the students and the work — the work product,” Fuller said, “and their ability to share their passion about what they’re learning.”
Rep. Stephenie Scialabba, R-12th, who also acts as legal counsel for the school, said it was her first time touring the site.
“They cover every single facet of modern life and economy — I’m really, truly stunned,” she said. “It’s seniors in high school and younger who have the life skills of a 30-year-old and the professionalism that comes with years of experience.”
Developing those life skills and experience, according to Fuller, is a major focus for the Shapiro administration.
“I think it’s important to the governor, as the leader of the Commonwealth, that the students we have coming out of our schools are ready to become active, engaged and responsible citizens,” he said. “(That they’re) able to support the economy and able to support their families as they move into life beyond high school.”
Fuller said the addition of $17.5 million for these programs proposed in Shapiro’s budget “will be very beneficial to supporting expansion of programs, making more programs available to students.”
The final budget will be determined by the legislature this month, according to Fuller.
“That gets passed hopefully by June 30,” he said. “So, we should know soon what that looks like.”
Fuller, his replacement Dr. Carrie Rowe, and Dr. Lee Burket — director of the bureau of career and technical education — also discussed some of the challenges facing the vo-tech.
According to Dr. Regina Hiler, executive director of the school, space has become an increasing concern as interest grows.
“We’re landlocked,” Hiler said. “You can’t build more, you know, God’s not making any more land.”
As part of the tour, Hiler showed them the school’s culinary department — complete with a public restaurant called “The Lunch Box.”
The Lunch Box, she told them, was regularly “packed.”
“It’s great it’s packed, but then we have people parked all over,” Hiler said. “We only have 38 student spots.”
Additionally, Hiler said staffing was a concern for the school.
“There are students that sometimes have more needs than we can adequately support 100%,” she said. “I believe that we need additional special education teachers, an additional school counselor, I’d like to have a real career counselor, I’d like to have a (public relations) person.”
While federal grants and funding have helped the school fill some temporary positions, Hiler emphasized the importance of hiring dedicated staff for students and future students.
“I have a really good workforce development coordinator … and then a really good school counselor but, again, just one,” Hiler said. “They’re enthusiastic people who offer to go to these functions in the schools but that takes away from what they’re doing here.”
Hiler said she would like to have a dedicated “career coach” to better educate youth on what the school offers and its benefits.
“I don’t think it’s ever a travesty if a kid does not want to come here,” she said. “But I do think it’s a travesty if they have no idea who we are.”
Meeting the needs of the students, according to Hiler, remains the school’s primary challenge.
“I would just say, supporting the kids the best we can and being able to hire more people and keep them on,” Hiler said.
