Worcester School Committee: Technical high admission

Looking for the admissions policies around the state (what ones that are different?)
(came up at last meeting, as well as with our Legislative delegation)

Monfredo questions why we'd change policies for a successfull school.

Mullaney: "obviously this school is doing very very well, because they are taking the best students that are there"
"Until we are providing some sort of trade education at our other schools, we are" not being fair to those kids.

Mayor O'Brien: "the challenge that we have is the old vocational high school" was for kids who were really struggling in the traditional high school
"part of what's driving this conversation is success"
"we really do need another pathway for young people who want to get into these traditional trades"
another programmatic pathway; programs locally that are for apprentices
Ch. 74 funding streams; could we create an alternative pathway by partnering with local trade unions?
kids go to traditional schools, get their academic piece, get into an apprentice pipeline for trades
trades are looking to bring next generation of workers
"I do think it's doable"

Ms. Sullivan, member of the publlic: "this whole blind admission at Voke, I'm not buying it"
"there are WAY less talented black people at Voke"
"don't you remember being a seventh grade boy? It's a whole different..so yeah, they do act up! But that shouldn't be able to affect their going to this beautiful new school...at sixteen, I knew everything..but Worcester Vocational enabled me...two years ago I made $70,000! ...why did they change, and who said they could?...what about the rest of us?...You're just totally cutting out..."
son has dyslexia..."at this point, it's way too late for my son..if you don't get in as a freshman, it's over, unless you go back to being a freshman...I love my son more than life, but he's not going to be a doctor or a lawyer...I don't want my son to work at Burger King..I want him to have a house, to go on vacation, not have to work two eight-dollar, ten-dollar an hour jobs"

guidance at North High: "I want to remind everyone that they get to choose the kids that go to that school..you can't really compare the awards and accolades"
"maybe it shouldn't be so blind" (if the percentages of minority don't match)

Mullaney: are we getting a disproportionate number of girls? (as girls are probably better behaved)

Boone: broadening opportunities for all students
"how do we broaden opportunities, rather than dismantle opportunities that are in place"
"sometimes you create a cure to deal with an ill and the student is still ill"
"are we at a point in time where we need to revisit this process across the board?"
"what are the career interests as a student considers going forward?"
Coordinated Program Review said we needed to address (some were around vocational ed, as well)

grandmother of a girl at Voke: "she didn't get in any trouble" when she went to the ALL school
the work they did got her through the MCAS in tenth grade
she's in 11th grade; she's in early childhood, wants to be the teacher or the director
"everybody thinks she's a good kid"
"Advanced Placement means something, especially to kids of color"

student profile data: real gap around special education (this from the Mayor)
largely reflective of the population
"no one wants to take apart of what's going on up on the hill"
"not every kid is going to go to college, and that's fine"
"kids who aren't getting into the Technical high school, but really want to get ready for some of these careers"

Biancheria: working with the unions, partnerships
"in slices of our community, in pockets of our schools"
motion: plan on bringing union presidents and so forth to the table for new innovative programs to the table
May: Career Construction Day