Gordon James center closing shows need for new thinking

At first glance, it seemed that members of the Howland Board of Education got carried away in trying to live up to that faddish management credo, "Think outside the box." So expansive was their thinking, they wound up contracting with the Ashtabula County Career and Technical Center for vocational education programs for Howland students.
In so doing, the school district bypassed the Trumbull County Career and Technical Center in Champion, the Choffin Career Center in Youngstown and the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center in Canfield.
But a closer look at what has taken place since the announced closing of the Gordon D. James Career Center in Lordstown reveals that the Howland School District did try to hook up with one of the local centers, but it would have cost more than the district was willing to pay. Given that only 30 students participate in career and technical education -- commonly referred to as vocational education -- board members decided to explore other options.
The Ashtabula County career center made them an offer they couldn't refuse.
Downside: But while the district will realize substantial savings, there is a downside: it's a 40-minute drive each way. The students will be bused.
However, officials in Ashtabula have indicated a willingness to establish at least three satellite programs in Howland to meet the special needs of some students. And as a sweetener, Ashtabula has agreed to expand its work-study program so that Howland students could be placed in jobs in Trumbull County instead of their having to go north.
Atty. Raymond Tisone, a member of the Howland school board, says the decision was not made lightly and that he and his colleagues wanted to remain in the Valley. However, Howland would have had to pay more than $1 million for its affiliation with the any one of the career centers in Trumbull or Mahoning counties.
The Gordon D. James Career Center is closing at the end of this school year because Niles rejected a five-year contract, choosing to join the Trumbull County center. The four other districts affiliated with Gordon James, Howland, Lordstown, McDonald and Weathersfield, couldn't pick up the financial slack. Lordstown, McDonald and Weathersfield opted to follow Niles' lead and join the TCCTC.
When Tisone ran for re-election last year, the Gordon James problem was coming to a boil and the board member raised an important question: Why couldn't the two centers in Trumbull County join forces?
Larger context: It's a question that still needs to be answered, but we would suggest that it be asked in a larger context: Why can't vocational education become a regional enterprise?
It is time for decision-makers to "think outside the box." The traditional mindset of vocational education no longer applies. Today, more college graduates with bachelor's degrees are taking two-year career or technical courses to make themselves marketable.
A regional approach to vocational education would cost less and enable career centers to offer courses that meet the employment demands of today's high-technology and service economies.