Friends of Vocational Technical & Agricultural Education,
We are most pleased to share this piece from the Boston Herald.
David
Opponents of vocational school lottery admissions talk path forward
Story by Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald
Despite the state board approval of a lottery admissions at vocational schools, some business and vocational education advocates opposed to the change met Tuesday to discuss a legislative block, expanding seats and more steps forward.
“What the Healey-Driscoll administration and the Board of Education have voted to do is ration what we’ve got, which creates winners and losers in our urban, suburban and rural communities,” said Tim Murray, president of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. “And penalizes students who show up every day to school, who have good grades and are good in attendance. Their fate educationally is dictated by a bouncing bingo ball in a lottery, and that is unfortunate and not where we need to be going.”
Representatives from the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, Pioneer Institute and Massachusetts Vocational Technical Coalition met for a forum Tuesday in opposition to the new lottery admission system and support for a block to the change in the state Legislature.
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved a measure mandating that vocational, or CTE, schools in the state use a lottery admissions process rather than applications accounting for grades, attendance and other factors in May.
Under the change, schools may opt to use a weighted lottery system, accounting for limited consideration of expressed student interest, attendance and discipline.
Opponents of the lottery system have long argued the application process allows students to earn a spot in the sought-after limited vocational education seats, while advocates for the change contended the system decreased access for historically marginalized student groups.
“You’re creating healthy competition very early,” said Kevin McCaskill, Brockton High School principal and former head of Madison Park Technical Vocational High. “Why? Because later on in life, they’re going to be competing not just within their own neighborhood but globally for positions.”
McCaskill said industries are “clamoring for employees right now, across every single sector” and the lottery admissions are “watering down” the system.
Advocates at Tuesday’s forum cited the state House Bill 4000, proposed by Rep. Frank Moran, which would pause implementation of the lottery and set up a task force to examine changes to admissions system.
The panelists said the bill would bring statewide stakeholders, educators, legislative leaders, DESE, and business representatives in to examine the issue.
“Let’s get away from this divisive argument which unfortunately has been forced upon us, take a step back and say, ‘universal access,’” Murray said. “Let that be the goal, and we’ve got the money to do it now. I can’t think of a better investment of the millionaire’s tax money than this, because there’s a demand, and we know most of those kids stay in the Commonwealth afterwards.”