Thousands of high-school $268 million was cut from students will have one less universities and community year to study business, colleges. biotech, engineering, Gov. Jan Brewer said cuts to multimedia, refrigeration programs such as career and repair and dozens of other technical education were career and technical- necessary to avoid deeper education subjects after cuts to base funding for state lawmakers cut $30 public schools. million from a statewide The Joint Technical Education program. District includes 26,000 The classes are part of the students who take career and Joint Technological Education technology classes at their District, which offers home high schools. Of those, vocational education through 780 students attend classes central and satellite on West-Mec's central program programs in the state. campus, 4949 W. Indian School Legislators passed a budget Road in Phoenix. in the spring that eliminates The state budget cuts come funding for ninth-graders in amid a growing movement that vocation-education programs college isn't for everyone. such as culinary arts, Many students are getting automotive repair and priced out of a college engineering. The cut costs 13 education. Plus, the cost of districts statewide, a college education is including the East Valley outstripping the payoff for Institute of Technology and many professions. Western Maricopa Education, "It will be the technicians or West-Mec, almost $30 working on your automobile million. who make more money than your "We don't know the fallout philosophy major," Alvarado yet," said Barbara Border, Parsons said. deputy associate For the Mesa-based East superintendent and director Valley Institute of of career and technical Technology, state budget cuts education at the Arizona will amount to $2 million Department of Education. "We this year, spokeswoman have no data yet till a full Tiffani Nichols said. year, maybe two, to know what "Everyone is feeling the the data really shows." crush of state budget cuts," She estimates the cuts affect Nichols said. "And that's why 20,000 to 25,000 students who we're looking for partner will lose a year to explore funding sources and changing whether a career- and the way we do business." technical-education track is For many, career and right for them, Border said. technical education doesn't "What you have to do is help preclude attending college them explore at the ninth later, Nichols said. About 65 grade," she said. "They may percent of EVIT students think culinary arts are right attend college later, and for them because they want to EVIT helps many of them find be a chef. Then they take scholarships to pay for it. classes and realize this Local school districts are isn't for them at all because weathering the state budget it means long hours and a lot cuts to its career and of other things." technology programs by Career and technical dipping into their own education encompasses 38 budgets. programs. They include The cuts will cost Chandler agricultural business Unified School District about management, multimedia $600,000, district spokesman technologies, graphic Terry Locke said. communication, cosmetology, "We are positioned well electronic technologies, fire financially, so our students service, construction won't see a difference in technologies, precision programming this year," Locke manufacturing, welding said. "It will hinder our technologies, dental ability to expand programs in assisting and therapeutic engineering and biotechnology massage. or other forward-thinking Because of the cuts, freshmen, projects because we may not who began school this month have sufficient start-up in many districts, are no funds. longer able to take career "It could also be an issue in and technical education the future if we need to classes their first year of replace equipment or remodel high school. classrooms." "The ninth-grade funding For now, the medical- elimination does pose professions class at Perry problems for us," said High School in Gilbert is Adriana Alvarado Parsons, well equipped. spokeswoman for Western Six students surrounded the Maricopa Education Center, a bedside of "Mr. Hermaphrodite, public school district that " an elderly mannequin at the offers students vocational school. They took turns education classes. "Our outfitting the dummy with an district expects the ninth- oxygen mask or a nasal grade cuts to amount to about cannula, small tubes that fit $7 million." inside a patient's nostrils, That means one less year to as directed by registered train in public safety, nurse Debbie Bartine. At the accounting, merchandising and end of the two-year program, other technical fields. students can take a certified "These students are getting nursing-assistant exam. engaged with these programs "The only thing we're really as freshmen. We need this lacking is the (human funding to build a program," anatomy) models," said Amanda she said. Walsh, a 17-year-old senior Legislators cut $1.1 billion who lives in Gilbert. to balance the state's $8.3 "Visual displays would be billion budget this fiscal nice," said Ashley Honick, a year, which began July 1. Of 16-year-old junior who lives those cuts, $150 million was in Gilbert and wants to be an cut from K-12 education and anesthesiologist.
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