Occupational ed classes threatened

Earlier this month, a fifth-grade student wrote a letter to the editor of this newspaper pleading with the Petaluma School District not to eliminate Petaluma High School’s agriculture department.

“The ag department gives the kids a choice of what to do as a career and a variety of classes,” wrote 10-year-old Rico Ielmorini. “It also gives them hands-on experience for their jobs so they already know what to do. Say you want to go into welding; in ag shop, you get to actually weld and do other hands-on work.”

The boy’s words were heartfelt and true, but sadly, spoke to the grim reality facing vocational education in local high schools today.

Unfortunately, a combination of circumstances have converged to threaten the future of technical ag classes and other vocational ed courses at Petaluma, Casa Grande and other public high schools.

The situation is particularly disappointing at Petaluma High, which has had an award-winning ag program for nearly a century that is steeped in the city’s agricultural past.

When the state cut $119,000 in regional occupational funding from Petaluma schools, it forced the district to make cutbacks. Next year, four career and technical ed classes at Casa Grande and four classes at Petaluma High will be eliminated. The situation is compounded at Petaluma High by the fact that the school has been experiencing declining enrollment in recent years and fewer students are signing up for the ag classes.

But for students who aren’t on a college career track and who want to learn valuable skills that they can take into the working world, the vocational classes are invaluable. Classes such as woodshop, culinary arts, welding and small engine building can open up a whole new world to a young person that he or she can develop into a career.

“These are skills you can use for life,” a 16-year-old junior at Petaluma High told a Press Democrat reporter recently. “The classes give kids an opportunity to find something they might be really good at and like.”

Petaluma High students designed and manufactured the metal benches on downtown sidewalks, for example — giving them a valuable lesson on how their skills translate to the real-world marketplace.

Petaluma High principal Brian Howard says the school wants to keep the industrial technology and agriculture departments. “These programs are part of the tradition of the school and community. I’ve seen the difference they’ve made in kids’ lives,” he told the Argus-Courier.

A town hall meeting will be held Monday to give parents of students as well as representatives of local industry an opportunity to say what they think about Petaluma High’s industrial technology department.

Sponsored by the high school, the meeting will feature a panel of representatives from the local automotive, construction, drafting and manufacturing industries.

The purpose of the meeting isn’t to have a political forum or to take the administrators to task. They have been very supportive, said Dan Sunia, chair of the department. “We want to bring attention to the cuts that are being made and to keep this on the front burner,” he said.

The school should also seriously consider Sunia’s suggestion that more occupational classes be offered as electives in order to maintain them. As he points out, many of the electives that are offered are purely academic based and not connected to careers. Why not make vocational, career-based courses electives?

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. May 4 in the multi-use building at Petaluma High School, 201 Fair St.

If you’re concerned about the future of vocational education in local high schools and want to find out more, you should attend this meeting.