One size doesn’t fit all, Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, said about schools in the state. A way to find solutions in the public education system may be in a $65 million project aiming to create or expand “catalyst centers” to provide technical tools for students who may not want to pursue a traditional college path.
Schultz was one of those kids, he told the House Education committee while presenting HB447, his new bill. He remembers taking his first woods class in junior high and then auto mechanics, welding and wood shop in high school, a game changer for his time in school.
But, in this generation, those technical classes haven’t kept up with demands — both from students and industry, Schultz said.
“For decades, CTE (career and technical education) training has kind of taken a back seat inside of our public education system,” Schultz told the committee. “And it’s not for any other reason than probably lack of funds and just prioritizing other portions of academics higher than CTE in most circumstances.”
That’s why, after a visit to Davis School District’s Catalyst Center, where he saw kids working on real industry projects with deadlines and budgets, he said he knew he wanted to expand that.
HB447 would provide grants to schools to either create or expand the “catalyst centers” where students would get real-world learning experiences and mentorship from those who already work in the industries they are training for, while building a network for job opportunities.
The bill received unanimous support from the committee and is now going to the House floor for consideration.
If approved by the Legislature, the grant program is set to be flexible. It could mean the expansion of current programs, or even the emergence of new technical high schools.
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The funds can only be spent on expenses such as classrooms, buildings and equipment, since it’s in a restricted public education stabilization account. While the money may not go to ongoing expenses — such as new teachers’ salaries — school districts could allocate resources they already have for their CTE programs for ongoing requests, if needed, Schultz said.
Schultz told Utah News Dispatch his proposal doesn’t necessarily touch on the higher education budget reallocations that Rep. Karen Peterson, R-Clinton, is sponsoring. However, it may have an effect on the prominence of technical education in the state.
“I view it as working hand in hand with some of the changes that we’re making with higher education,” Schultz said. “However, I also view it as a way and pathway for those students that want to exit high school and go directly into the workforce, as an opportunity for them to do that as well.”
A student could, say, graduate from a technical course, get an initial certificate through a “First Credential” program established if Peterson’s bill, HB260, gets final approval, and then go out directly into the workforce, Schultz said. Other students may also choose to further their education through a technical college or a traditional university.
The technical path would also be a solution to “one of the biggest things plaguing our students,” Schultz said — student debt.
“There will probably be some that say, ‘hey, I’m walking out making $80,000 a year, and I don’t need to go to technical school or to one of our universities,’” he said. “But I think the majority will come out and want to continue upon that education.”
Most of the public comments during the committee hearing were from education organizations in support of the idea, many commending the proposal of using the stabilization account to fund public school programs.
One of them was Brian Hunt, the technical education director at Davis School District and who helped open the Davis Catalyst Center that inspired Schultz’s bill.
“I think $65 million is a really good step in the right direction, because the more you learn about profession-based learning, you’ll understand how it can be revolutionary in engaging students and preparing students better for their future,” Hunt said.
Monica Wilbur, a past candidate for the Utah State Board of Education, and the only public commenter against the bill criticized the legislation, calling it a “spending spree” and arguing that the expansion of the role of public schools creates a bigger government, which goes against the traditional Republican principles.
“Turning schools into factories that produce workers for specific private sector businesses is not a great idea when our kids are already struggling on the academic basics,” Wilbur said. “Forcing children into workforce pipelines is a global agenda. It deprives children of a proper, well-rounded education.”
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