NAVIT Warns Of Funding Cut Fallout

Weber noted that more than 90,000 Arizona high school students enroll in CTE courses each year. According to the Arizona Department of Education, when students take two or more CTE classes, they graduate at a 98 percent rate–a full 20 percent higher than those who do not take CTE. They are also more likely to pursue post-secondary education.

“If the current legislative language is not changed, we will all suffer a 50 percent cut for fiscal year 2017, which begins this coming July 1,” Weber said.

The proposed legislative action translates to a funding reduction of $30 million. He explained further, “The language from this last spring’s legislation only affects this next year. But the problem is that it still needs to be changed, because what was intended to be a 7.5 percent cut is now, because it affects the base support level, actually a 50 percent cut.”

According to NAVIT, from the creation of Joint Technical Education Districts (JTEDs) in Arizona in 1990, Arizona legislators understood the need to give the state’s children a choice in career paths, which it said would help fulfill a skilled labor shortage in the state.

Technical education courses were the path state legislators chose, passing Senate Bill 1264 in May 1991. The terms of the bill indicate that legislators recognized that these courses would be more expensive, typically requiring additional space, costly supplies, specialized instructors, and the purchase and maintenance of specialized equipment and machinery.

NAVIT has endeavored to offset these costs, in part, through its partnership with Northland Pioneer College in providing nationally accredited career training for adults and juniors and seniors from 11 area public school districts. NAVIT also pays 65 percent of maintenance and operations costs to its member districts to use toward individual CTE satellite programs, reimbursing $1,195,691 to the Joseph City district between the 2003 and 2016 fiscal years alone.

Since 1991, voters in more than 100 communities have voted to tax themselves, through this funding model, to provide quality CTE courses and programs in Arizona schools. However, NAVIT says that without the state’s support, there will no longer be sufficient funding for technical training.

“Everyone gets their share of (budget) cuts, but this is particularly deep, and devastating to JTEDs, because if the language isn’t changed, we’re gone within two to three years,” Weber pointed out.

“Basically, we’re wanting to contact business owners to let them know how important career and technical education is to students, because without us in the mix, that’s going to leave business owners to train their own personnel, and they don’t have the time or the money to do that.”

In other action Oct. 6, the board:

* Adopted the agenda with the exception of moving Brad Neal’s cell phone stipend item off the consent agenda to new business and removing the out-of-state travel request from Steve Mills’ agenda.

* Approved Sept. 8 regular meeting and executive session minutes.

* Received board reports from the administrative team, including a report from Business Manager Steve Mills regarding the use of Maintenance & Operations Override funds for 2014-15.

* Recognized Ericka Hunt as the October Employee of the Month.

* Approved the consent agenda, including district vouchers for general funds, $160,128.81; payroll, $150,553.01; revolving fund, $124; auxiliary, $2,575.32; and student activity, $610.98. Also approved were the Certified Evaluation Plan and the Arizona State University Service Design Project donation of the district’s electric car.

* Approved the fiscal year 2015 annual financial report.

* Approved disposal of district technology department surplus property.

* Approved a cell phone stipend for district maintenance supervisor Brad Neal.

* Approved the addition of a substitute maintenance position to the fiscal year 2016 salary schedule.

* Approved the following fiscal year 2016 appointments: Eric Miller, tutor; Chance Rush, maintenance worker; Jim Boose, junior high wrestling coach; Earl Roberson, junior high assistant wrestling coach; and Dan Bushman, substitute bus driver and substitute maintenance worker.

* Approved Superintendent Brian Fields’ evaluation for contracted performance pay.

* Accepted the administration’s recommendation to dismiss Michael Lorenc from employment, subject to his right to a hearing, and asking the superintendent to send him a notice of intent to dismiss and statement of charges.

* Approved a hearing officer if Lorenc requests a hearing on his dismissal and delegated to the superintendent the authority to appoint a hearing officer.

* Tabled discussion and possible action to accept the resignation of classified employee Mike Lorenc.

The next regular meeting of the board will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at the district office in the boardroom at 8176 N. Westover St.