Technical schools' 'inequities' discussed

Tight budgets and the slow economy have monopolized the attention of state and local officials for months.

[Resident]

"The petition has its roots in a yearlong fight between the committee and Shawsheen Valley Technical High School officials over accusations that the Billerica school has focused on recruiting top Tewksbury students -- taking seats away from those who truly need a vocational education, the committee has argued."

Total B.S. the tech isn't "recruiting" top students, the top students are electing to go to the tech because it offers a much better education than T.M.H.S.

I understand that students that would benefit from the Tech are being pushed out by better students, but what do you want the tech to do, tell the A student, sorry your grades and attendance are too good, you are disqualified?

[stateissue]

The issue is limited funds and duplications of services. The tech schools have crept into the college prep curriculum. So why should the state support two robotics / engineering college prep programs for the students in Tewksbury, Chelmsford and the other towns served by Shawsheen or Nashoba Tech?
Someone at the state level should set guidelines stating the tech schools are responsible for courses A,B and C. The public high schools take care of D,E and F.
The tech is recruiting the top students and recruiting them hard. I receive 4-5 mailings per year from Nashoba tech touting their college prep / engineering while they appear to give less emphasis on the HVAC, plumbing, carpentry etc...
Ask any plumber you know about the technical skills of recent tech school graduates that have been MCASsed vs graduates from 10-15 years ago. There is a noticeable difference
.

[the dumbest thing]

that the local high schools ever did (all of them, not just the ones here), was to remove classes like metal shop and the like. It's not like EVERYONE can get into tech school and not EVERYONE can handle a purely college bound curriculum. Like Judge Smails said: "the world need ditch diggers too!".

[Billerica Mom]

stateissue wrote:

The issue is limited funds and duplications of services. The tech schools have crept into the college prep curriculum. So why should the state support two robotics / engineering college prep programs for the students in Tewksbury, Chelmsford and the other towns served by Shawsheen or Nashoba Tech?
Someone at the state level should set guidelines stating the tech schools are responsible for courses A,B and C. The public high schools take care of D,E and F.
The tech is recruiting the top students and recruiting them hard. I receive 4-5 mailings per year from Nashoba tech touting their college prep / engineering while they appear to give less emphasis on the HVAC, plumbing, carpentry etc...
Ask any plumber you know about the technical skills of recent tech school graduates that have been MCASsed vs graduates from 10-15 years ago. There is a noticeable difference
.

You are wrong,Shawsheen isn't recruiting the top students, I have 3 teens and 2 were in the top 10 of their class in Billerica and they were never recruited. The Tech went to their middle schools and gave them the option to apply, but recruited NO. We got mailings for 3 kids, but if you call that recruiting, you are mistaken. Recruiting is what the military has tried to do with my kids, calling them a few times a week even after sending in the do not call form.

Sounds like you are getting misinformation from somebody on the Tewksbury school committee. I have 2 kids going to Shawsheen, 1 entering this year and 1 graduated this year and I can assure you they were not recruited. The kids coming out of there are very prepared. Having had a brother who graduated from there in 1983 in plumbing, the kids graduating now are better educated in all area's, technical and academics.

A lot of the Shawsheen kids are going on to college, they need those course to get into them. My daughter is starting Nursing school in a few weeks, she took Health at the Tech. Thankfully the tech offered the courses she needed to get into the colleges she applied for.

[pop]

Resident wrote:

"The petition has its roots in a yearlong fight between the committee and Shawsheen Valley Technical High School officials over accusations that the Billerica school has focused on recruiting top Tewksbury students -- taking seats away from those who truly need a vocational education, the committee has argued."

Total B.S. the tech isn't "recruiting" top students, the top students are electing to go to the tech because it offers a much better education than T.M.H.S.
I understand that students that would benefit from the Tech are being pushed out by better students, but what do you want the tech to do, tell the A student, sorry your grades and attendance are too good, you are disqualified?

Couldn't agree more. Shawsheen Tech does not have to recruit; the program sells itself! This year, Shawsheen Tech was banned from presenting its program to the kids at the Wynn during the school day as it had done for years. Tewksbury High,however, had at least 4 opportunities during the school day to acquaint the students with what was available for programs and activities. There were still record breaking numbers of kids applying to Shawsheen Tech! Perhaps the School Committee should stop whining and take action to fix the many problems that exist in Tewksbury rather than lie about what happens at its counterpart in Billerica.

[Kevin]

All the smart kids are picking the good school. wawawawawawawa.
Maybe if your school was not a day care center, then maybe the smart kids would want to go there?

[Bernie]

I thought that between them Miceli and Tucker could see the foolishness of O'Neill's arguments. He is once again using the kids of Tewksbury to take a shot at Charlie Lyons. Do Miceli and Tucker forget that they represent the kids that go to Shawsheen as well. I am amazed that they feel that they have to placare O'Neill.

[pop]

I am still amazed that Mr. O'Neill and company continue to blame Charlie Lyons for the excessive numbers of kids applying to Shawsheen Tech. Perhaps this School Committee would be better served looking at WHY so many kids are choosing private schools and Shawsheen Tech over TMHS. Let's not forget that the state implemented MCAS testing, esentially requiring ALL high schools to offer the same academic program, regardless of the school's original mission. That fact coupled with the lack of funding, excessive numbers of so-called "internships" and a deplorable building conditions have got us where we are today, not Shawsheen Tech.