Lenape Tech Elaborates on Half-Day Interest Experiment
Lenape Tech Joint Operating Committee President Joseph Close expressed a desire for Lenape Tech Administrator Dawn Kocher-Taylor (middle) to continue allowing high school freshman and sophomores to express interest in a half-day program option to see if it is a feasable possibility. Freeport Area School District Superintendent (on end) said it would become more difficult to deal with individualized class and transportation schedules if more interest is shown.
by Jonathan Weaver
High school students are continuing to show interest in attending Lenape Tech on a part-time basis, but administrators last week said there are no plans or considerations to transition the school to become part-time rather than full-time.
At their Joint Operating Committee meeting last Thursday, Administrator Dawn Kocher-Taylor conveyed that the half-day option freshmen and sophomore students from the Apollo-Ridge, Armstrong, Freeport and Leechburg school districts can take part in was not a secret, nor is it a means for alarm.
“All we’re here to do is to do what’s best for students: to help them prepare for college and career. There’s no hidden agenda, there’s no conspiracy theory: we’re just here to do what’s best for students,” Kocher-Taylor said. “We’re looking to see if there’s interest – if there is not continued interest, there is no reason to proceed or take further action.”
She and other school district representatives expressed they have received questions and concerns from parents concerning the program, partially due to a Kittanning Paper article last month after mailers were sent to applicable students. Interest so far has been primarily from high school sophomores.
Interested sophomore high school students are then sent computer log-in information that they can use to take skills tests and learn about possible programs of study.Since information was sent to guidance counselors and students about the experiment, 39 students have expressed interest in the half-day option. However, Kocher-Taylor said there were more than two dozen students interested before the 2011-12 school year began, but only five enrolled for classes.
Armstrong School District Representatives D. Royce Smeltzer and Sara Yassem suggested the program be up for a vote by the 36-member committee. That committee consists of all school board directors from all four districts.The 36-member committee does not actively meet as a whole, and usually only votes on the annual budget and officer appointments, unless there is a change in curriculum.
The nine Joint Operating Committee members are representatives from those districts.While Board President Joseph Close said he is hesitant to encourage young high school students to enroll part-time, he recommended Lenape Tech continue collecting data about the possibility.
“I think we need to let this pilot play-out a little bit to see what the desire is – maybe its something we just want to offer to 10th grade (or) maybe someday this evolves into a three-year program,” Close said. “Before we could ever offer a half-time program here to where a student could say ‘I want ‘x’ program half-time – what’s the schedule look like?’ we couldn’t proceed to develop something like that until we did it on a pilot program first to see what works for each student (or) each curriculum back at their home districts.”
Similarly, Kocher-Taylor has not made a recommendation to institute the program amongst junior and seniors.“We won’t know that until we look at the students,” Kocher-Taylor said. “Families want information and they want choices.”
Kocher-Taylor said the experiment evolved when five sophomore students showed interest in programs besides the current Computer Information Technology (CIT) part-time program in April 2011. At that time, she said representatives gave her the go-ahead to enroll the students.She said guidance counselors and staff are ‘flexible’ with scheduling around student extracurricular activities.
“We’re going to do everything we can to certainly allow them to do that,” Kocher-Taylor said.Leechburg Area School District representatives Jean Stull and Julie Baitz said they are in-favor of the half-day option, and said that as a whole, they thought their school board would be as well.
Students from Leechburg currently attend the Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center in New Kensington. However, current representatives Jean Stull and Julie Baitz expressed interest in discontinuing that contract.
“Julie (Baitz) and I are in-favor of all our students coming to Lenape. We aren’t in-favor of Northern Westmoreland at all,” Stull said. “We did have a parent that came in that discussed scheduling issues with her son who is half-time here, but regardless if we send them here or Northern Westmoreland, they’re still going to have those scheduling issues.
“I think overall our Board would be in-favor of offering half-day options; for sure,” she continued.
Superintendent of Record Chris DeVivo – who is from the Freeport Area School District – said the opportunity to work around those schedules might decline if the experiment shows more interest.
“The more students that would enroll in the program, the less flexibility you would have to create individualized schedules for those kids,” DeVivo said.
Kocher-Taylor said Lenape Tech staff members put education first and seeing that enrolled students are able to graduate within their high school timeframe.
“The most important thing is that we can schedule your student in a way that they can meet the graduation requirements – that has proved to be the most-challenging and, obviously, the most important because of the loss of time in the school day due to transportation, different bell schedules and things of that nature,” Kocher-Taylor said.
Stull volunteered to be the operating committee's vice-president after fellow Leechburg school director Terry Knepshield resigned at the beginning of the 2012 calendar year. Her appointment was unanimously approved by the Joint Operating Committee and will now be voted on by the 36-member committee through mail ballot.
School administrators and representatives hope to have an estimate of the number of students who want to enroll in the half-day program for the 2012-13 school year by April.
Stull was also unanimously appointed by the operating committee as Board Vice-President. Her nomination will now by submitted to the rest of the 36-member committee, comprised of school board directors from all four participating districts.
Stull’s nomination came after former Vice-President Terry Knepshield also of Leechburg resigned at the beginning of 2012.
Lenape Tech | jweaver February 21, 2012
By samkirk, February 21, 2012 @ 1:12 PM
Sure Joe Close. Tenth grade is fine for half day. Didn’t you just have your boy benefit from a half day welding class this year? Show us where that was voted on Joe.
Does anyone remember Dawn Kocher Taylor’s survey she made using Lenape students? They said no half day. Dawn did it in the school cafeteria and used it along with Close to speak against half day
Nope no conspiracy here Dawn. Just a crock of lies
By Jerri, February 21, 2012 @ 1:53 PM
These actions are in direct contradiction of what is said in the Kittanning Paper’s January and February 2010 articles on the Lenape Tech half day issue. I especially enjoy the photo of Chuck Pascal ripping up Solak at the podium. Look at all those people cheering Pascal on. Most of them Lenape Tech teachers who were told the half day would make them lose their jobs. They believed this so much that they told their own students to attend board meetings and speak out so they wouldn’t lose their jobs. Wonder how they feel now that they know they were used?
Joe Close has been one if the biggest protectors of the Lenape Tech full-day program. But then I read in a previous article that his own son is attending Lenape Tech half day this year for welding. Since the JOC and member school districts knew nothing of this. It is safe to assume this was not voted on.
Hypocrisy indeed!
By billbell, February 21, 2012 @ 5:06 PM
I still don’t see how one school can hold several districts hostage in their academic scheduling. This will be the case if they shift to 1/2 day. The other districts will have little choice but to schedule their days to accommodate the minority of students leaving to attend the vo tech.
By Lisa, February 21, 2012 @ 10:10 PM
If the article above is correct then I am understanding that 9th grade students are being considered for the half day option as well. The fliers that were sent home did not mention 9th grade. Hopefully a seperate flier was sent to these students explaining the options available. To get an accurate idea of how this half day program will play out everyone needs to know what grades are actually being considered.
By JornJensen, February 22, 2012 @ 6:10 AM
Offer 1/2 day, 10th grade only, if the sending districts can schedule to that and transportation is available and sending schools are willing to assume those added transportation costs. At the end of 10th grade 1/2 day Lenape, the student makes a choice – full day Lenape next two years or head back to the home school district and finish out the high school education in the home district.
The idea here is to help a student make a wise decision by ‘trying it’ at only the 10th grade level. No school district needs the 4 trips per day transportation costs for 11th and 12th grades of 1/2 day Lenape, and no student needs to waste school day time in 4 bus trips per day.
Students try it and make a choice – done.
By Jan, February 22, 2012 @ 6:59 AM
I think some of you are missing the point here. Lenape will still remain a full day, comprehensive vocational school. The change occurring would only affect students who do not want to attend Lenape on a full time basis yet would like to learn more about a specific trade area for a half day.It’s all exploration at this point. It may work and then again, it may not- but without trying, no one knows the answer.
There is no conspiracy theory going on here; it’s called “change”. It’s obvious to me that enough parents/students inquired about students attending on a half time basis only, and the JOC determined that it was worth trying.
@Jerri: you stated that the teachers at Lenape were so afraid of losing their jobs that they had students attend the meetings. I sat at those meetings and the students attending were very passionate about their school and did not want to see it turned into a totally half time school- sending them back to their home schools for academics. Furthermore,had Lenape been shifted to a half time vocational school- the teachers most affected by this would have been the academic teachers, not the vocational teachers.
Mr. Close is an advocate of Lenape’s comprehensive vocational program; his son attending on a half time basis for welding has nothing to do with his belief that Lenape should remain status quo.
By Kittanning Lady, February 22, 2012 @ 7:11 AM
@ anyone my niece and I were talking about this the other day.. her child recieved one of these packets in the mail,My question is.. Am I to understand that if not enough children apply for a half day or if too many apply for half day and the school can not accomidate these children then the children who fill out these papers and…. are thinking they can go half day …will be told SORRY can’t do this for you you don’t have a choice now you have to go full day.If this is true then what was the reason to get these children and parents hopes up??These children and parents are filling out these papers in good faith but will be shot down if “THE RECOMMENDATION” FROM KOCHER-TAYLOR is not to do this “AT THIS TIME’?Am I right? or is my neice and I not understanding this? Please someone reply with a correct answer.
By Kittanning Lady, February 22, 2012 @ 7:20 AM
Oh and before someone says on here to call Ms. KOCHER-TAYLOR , I have had a conversation with someone who DID do this and all they got was.. the word RECOMMENDATION throwed around , frustrated they gave up!That’s why I am asking on here maybe someone got more information they could share.
By Mike Fichthorn, February 22, 2012 @ 8:38 AM
Both of our older sons graduated from the Tech, and hopefully our third will soon follow.
I don’t see how 1/2 day benefits anyone. The students spend more time on buses,transportation costs increase.
Leave the full time program alone. When Solak and Markilinski made fools of themselves by trying to force the 1/2 day issue, the PA Dept of Education came out and said that Lenape was one of the most successful tech schools in the state.
There are kids at the tech who don’t care and are just putting time in, but it seems like most of them are eager to learn their field of study and it’s a different atmosphere.
All of my sons have been thru FCHS. It seems as if there are more kids being disruptive, sleeping in class and I have been very frustrated over the years with several teachers who are just putting their time in.
The staff at the Vo-Tech is excellent. Don’t try to fix what isn’t broken.
By Elliot, February 22, 2012 @ 10:03 AM
JornJensen –
I think your comment is right on and I believe this is basically what they are piloting.
Kittanning Lady -
A pilot program is a test. It might fly, it might not. If someone has their hopes dashed in 10th grade, there is always next year. Life is tough and disappointments are unavoidable.
For all the conspiracy theorists, I believe this is simply the implementation of a pilot program that was formally approved by the JOC last year (but I’m not familiar with their protocol). Don’t confuse this 10th grade pilot with the 11th and 12th grade programs. I don’t see evidence of those programs going to 1/2 day.
By worthingtonman, February 22, 2012 @ 10:57 AM
@admin
This thread apparently needs some censorship, unless the individuals in this thread are allowed to be slandered or libeled.
By Kittanning Lady, February 22, 2012 @ 11:14 AM
@Elliot,The child I am refering to is in 10th grade this was for their 11th and 12th grade years. My dear sir ,this half day program is being offered to 10th graders for their 11th and 12th grade years. again ,can someone answer my prier questions?( All of the 10th graders were given this packet all across the district,for their 11th and 12th grade years)16 half day programs are being offered to 10th graders for their 11th and 12 grade years.
By kwiss4, February 23, 2012 @ 8:18 AM
What is the cost of this experiment? It says in this article that freshmen can try this also. Am I reading that correctly? What troubled me about this was the ASD board at no time told the public that more than just the two original programs that were piloted for the half day option were available. It seems the communication on this experiment is very poor and that is why people have so many questions.
By Jan, February 23, 2012 @ 10:09 AM
@kwiss4: truthfully- what we are all reading is an interpretation of that meeting by the writer of this article. I think that unless someone was actually there to hear first hand for themselves, it’s senseless to surmise what was actually stated. I will be going to Lenape today and I think I will ask the question first hand. Are we talking about 9-12 graders being able to attend Lenape on a half-time basis, while keeping Lenape open as a full time comprehensive program. Some people are still misconstruing the information. Lenape intends to continue as a comprehensive vocational school but will offer half day sessions to students who do not want to attend Lenape on a full time basis. I will see what I learn and let people know.
By Elliot, February 23, 2012 @ 10:38 AM
Kittanning Lady -
One of us is confused, and I’m not sure which one. The article states,
“Similarly, Kocher-Taylor has not made a recommendation to institute the program amongst junior and seniors.“We won’t know that until we look at the students,” Kocher-Taylor said. “Families want information and they want choices.”
Also, the second paragraph of the article clearly states that the program is offered to freshmen and sophomores.
To me, this means that the half-day program is not being offered to juniors and seniors. But, you are referring to a letter that you think says otherwise. I think we can both agree that it’s not a very clear article.
By Jan, February 23, 2012 @ 6:54 PM
Based on what I learned today at Lenape, there are students who are currently enrolled as 9th. graders who attended a Parent/Student Night at Lenape to learn more about the 1/2 day pilot program which will take place in the next school year, 2012-13. Those 9th. graders who attended the session will then be 10th. graders- so the report as written above was incorrectly stated.
By kwiss4, February 25, 2012 @ 1:13 PM
Jan,
Glad to have clarification on the freshman.
Elliot,
No where in the packet does it state that this program is only for sophmores and then a decision needs to be made about going back to your home school or attend lenape full time for 11th and 12th grade. What it says is if you can meet your academic requirements to graduate then they will work with you so you can attend half day and return to your home school. The communication between Lenape and all the sending schools is greatly lacking. Maybe a press release concerning the new program would have been appropriate. Interesting article in the trib about A.W.Beattie career center dropping its academic program and that several of there sending schools opted out of the academic portion years ago.
By Jan, February 25, 2012 @ 4:06 PM
@kwiss4: I think it’s important to note that AW Beattie was not a comprehensive vocational school. They did offer a few academic courses there but their primary function was that of a half day vocational school.Beattie is one of the schools I serve in my current position and I’ve never known them to offer a full time program there.
By wakeup, February 26, 2012 @ 9:58 AM
Would the option to attend 2 or 3 days a week be better than a half day? To me this would solve the busing problem and be less disruptive to the students. I would think it would keep staffing costs down as well if you alternated the days for various students to keep a full day and week for the instructor.