FIG.
I-1.Chapter I
System Overview
FIG.
I-1.
The State Board of Education operates the Connecticut Regional Vocational-Technical School System through the state Department of Education. There are 17 schools, two satellite facilities, and one technical educational center. Figure I-1 shows the location of each school.
State vocational-technical schools in Connecticut date back to 1910, when the first two trade schools were established in Bridgeport and New Britain. The current geographic distribution of schools has existed since the late 1970s.
Statewide, there were 10,605 full-time secondary students enrolled in vocational-technical schools on October 1, 2000. This represented 7 percent of the ninth through twelfth grade students in the state.
In addition, approximately 800 adults were in full-time day programs. Some were in adult only programs, while others participated in the trade portion of secondary school programs where spaces were available. Approximately 2,300 adults were enrolled in part-time afternoon and evening programs. This includes classes to meet state apprenticeship requirements, occupation specific training to learn basic skills or upgrade existing skills, and work toward a high school diploma.
Structure
C.G.S. Sec. 10-95 allows the State Board of Education to establish a statewide system of regional vocational-technical schools to offer programs in "vocational, technical and technological education and training." The commissioner of education is authorized to oversee management of the system in accordance with the policies established by the state board. Figure I-2 displays the organizational structure of the system.
Day-to-day oversight of the vocational-technical school system is the responsibility of a superintendent of schools, who answers to the commissioner of education and a subcommittee of the state board, known as the Vocational-Technical School Committee. The superintendent is supported by four assistant superintendents, who are responsible for designated program areas and specific school sites. These individuals and other central office personnel are located in Middletown.
Each of the 17 schools is headed by a director. Each school also has its own Admissions Advisory Committee, Citizens Consulting Committee, and Parent-Faculty Organization. In addition, every school has multiple craft committees -- one for each trade program offered. Each type of school committee varies in size, groups represented, and frequency of meetings.
The responsibilities of the Admissions Advisory Committees include identifying recruitment strategies and reviewing admissions policies and procedures used by their particular school. Each committee is supposed to have 12 members. Nine voting members are appointed by the v-t school director and serve for terms of up to four years. They should reflect the population of the area served by the school and include representatives of business, labor, the local education area, and parents. Three nonvoting members -- the school director, the school guidance coordinator, and a staff person from the v-t central office -- represent the v-t school system. Each committee is expected to meet at least twice a year during the admissions process.
The Citizens Consulting Committees are less formally structured entities. They include v-t school staff, students, local legislators, and representatives of the local school districts in the area of the particular school. Individual school directors coordinate the membership. The committees are supposed to meet twice a year to discuss the future of their particular v-t school.
The Craft Committees are supposed to provide advice to school administrators and instructors regarding a specific trade area. Among the issues these committees might deal with are textbook selection, equipment purchases, job placement efforts, and publicity. Each committee is supposed to have between five and nine members plus the trade instructors from the particular school. Members, who volunteer or are recruited by the trade department head, include employers, middle managers, practitioners of the particular trade, and, if the trade is organized, a union representative. At least one member is supposed to be a v-t school graduate. Each committee is expected to meet at least twice a year; a few meet every three or four months.
The structure and activity levels of the Parent-Faculty Organizations differ among the 17 schools, depending on the interest of the parents. In general, the purpose of these organizations is to promote volunteer participation and raise private funds for the particular school.
Budget
In state fiscal year (FY) 2000, the v-t school system expended $98.3 million. Individual v-t schools spent between $4 million and $7 million each, while the v-t central office expended almost $10 million. Figure I-3 shows total FY 00 expenditures by source of funding. The system's primary source of revenue -- the state General Fund -- provided $92.5 million.
Other sources of funds included state and federal school lunch programs, federal Pell grants for adult education programs, and the Vocational Education Extension Fund. The latter is financed by rental income from the use of v-t school facilities, tuition and fees from adult students, and payments into the Education Production Account for work performed as part of the v-t school trade programs.
Most of the money appropriated to the v-t school system is used for Personal Services (83 percent in each of the last six years) and Other Expenses (about 10 percent). Based on a formula that takes into consideration previous enrollment and the square footage of the facility, each school receives an allocation from the v-t central administration. This money covers personal services and other expenses plus textbooks and equipment repairs. The central office has been handling fuel and utility expenditures for all of the schools. It also pays the systemwide cost of certain special education expenditures as well as a wide range of other items such as school doctors, educational dues, and athletic insurance.
Figure I-4 shows total v-t school expenditures for state fiscal years 1996 through 2001. Appendix A presents FY 00 information for each of the individual schools and the central office.
The vocational-technical school system is included in the Department of Education budget as one of its program areas. In FY 00, funding for the v-t schools represented only 4 percent of the total appropriation given to the Department of Education. However, the Personal Services allocation for the v-t school system represented 84 percent of the department's expenditures in that category.
Bond funds. The vocational-technical school system also receives bond funds. This money is used for construction (i.e., the addition of new wings or renovation of existing space at individual schools), the purchase of trade program equipment and vehicles, the performance of fire safety work, and the installation of wiring for computer-related programs.
In 1998, the legislature undertook a major effort to improve the physical condition of the vocational-technical schools. Under a proposed five-year plan, $15 million per year in bond money is to be authorized for a variety of infrastructure work and trade equipment purchases. Figure I-5 displays the proposed portion each general category is to receive.
The first authorization occurred in FY 99, and the second and third authorizations were enacted during the most recent legislative session. Through December 2000, the Bond Commission had released $42.2 million, which is 94 percent of the money authorized to date.
Another source of money for the v-t school system is the Capital Equipment Purchase Fund (CEPF). In FY 00, the system used $613,081 from this fund, primarily for work related to the creation of local area networks (LANs) and the purchase of equipment.
Staffing
The number of positions authorized for the regional vocational-technical school system has recently begun to increase after a long period of flat or negative growth. At the start of the 1980s, the system had over 1,500 authorized positions. The number dropped to a low of 1,386 in FY 98, but it returned to 1,408 positions in FY 99. The authorized count increased to 1,449 for FY 00. As of October 30, 2000, the system had 1,479 General Fund positions.
Most staff are assigned to the 17 v-t schools. In school year (SY) 2000-01, the number per school ranged from 62 to 110. Twenty-eight positions were assigned to the three satellite facilities, and 64 positions were assigned to the v-t central office.
Almost three-quarters of the v-t school positions are for academic and trade instructors. Four percent are administrators. Figure I-6 displays the SY 01 staffing count by type of position (as used in state bargaining agreements). Appendix B contains a detailed breakdown of staff by location for the same year.
Almost three-quarters of the v-t school positions are for academic and trade instructors. Four percent are administrators. Figure I-6 displays the SY 01 staffing count by type of position (as used in state bargaining agreements). Appendix B contains a detailed breakdown of staff by location for the same year.
According to the Strategic School Profile 1999-2000 for the Vocational-Technical School System, the average number of years of experience in Connecticut for all staff was 12.5 years. The academic teachers had 12.8 years, while the technology and trade teachers had 11.3 years experience. The comparable figures for high schools statewide were 14.3 years (all staff), 14.9 years (academic), and 11.3 years (technology/trade).
Forty-two percent of the v-t school staff have a master's degree or above, while 78 percent of high school teachers statewide have at least a master's degree. Appendix C presents staff experience data for each of the 17 v-t schools.
For salary purposes, v-t school instructors are divided into three categories, depending on the type of certification held and whether the individual is a department head. There are two categories of administrators -- directors and assistant directors. Also affecting salary is length of time in the position, and like other state workers, v-t school employees are eligible for longevity payments after 10 years.
Under the contract schedule in effect for the 2000-2001 school year, annual instructor salaries range from $36,150 to $68,414. Instructors in the summer school, special programs, night school, and apprentice programs are paid an hourly rate of $21.50; supervisors receive $26. As of November 2000, the salary range for directors is $68,333 to $90,797. The range for assistant directors is $61,198 to $81,039.
Statewide data for non v-t school teachers for the current year are not available. In school year 1998-99, the average teacher's salary statewide was $51,598. In 1999-00, the average starting salary for a teacher with a bachelor's degree was approximately $31,700 and the average maximum salary at the sixth year level was approximately $63,500.1
Secondary School Format
In order to graduate from a v-t school, students must meet the same classroom credit hour requirements as any other high school student in Connecticut. In addition, however, v-t students compile hours of training in a specific trade, which can be applied toward apprenticeship requirements if applicable. The trade-specific education component combines classroom instruction with opportunities for hands-on practice of the skills being taught.
The format of the vocational-technical school "day" differs from the traditional high school. Secondary students at the 17 v-t schools alternate academic and trade classes in blocks of time, focusing solely on either academic instruction or their trade program during each segment. Two grade levels within each school are on the same track at the same time.
The two satellite facilities in Enfield and Stratford and the education center in Bristol operate differently. Each of the satellites offers only a single, adult-only program. The education center provides students with a year of training in one of seven trade areas during either their junior or senior year. The students remain part of their local school system and receive a majority of their academic course work at their sending high school.
1 Connecticut Association of Boards of Education Inc., The Journal, June 1999 (Vol. 4, No. 6) and March 2000 (Vol. 5, No. 3).