District interested in career center discussion

December 06, 2006|by DON AINES

WAYNESBORO, Pa. - Several members of the Waynesboro School Board said they plan to attend tonight's Chambersburg School Board meeting to hear a presentation on that district's plans for the future of the Franklin County Career and Technology Center.

"I'm not going to miss that meeting for anything," said Stanley Barkdoll, the vice president of the Waynesboro School Board and one of the district's representatives on the career and technology center's Joint Operating Committee.

The presentation will be made by Dr. Thomas Winters, a former state deputy secretary of education hired by Chambersburg to study three options being considered by the district.

One option would be to create a comprehensive vocational school involving all six districts that participate in the career and technology center. Currently, the Waynesboro, Greencastle-Antrim, Tuscarora, Fannett-Metal and Shippensburg school districts send students there for vocational training only, while this year Chambersburg began sending its students there for both vocational and academic instruction.

Changing the center to a comprehensive vocational school would require approval of the school boards from all six districts under the existing articles of agreement.

A second option is for Chambersburg to own the center, running it as a comprehensive school for its own students and charging tuition to the other districts. That would also require approval of all the districts, according to a summary of the options.

The third option would be for Chambersburg to go it alone and build its own comprehensive vocational school.

"He's probably one of the foremost experts on vocational education in Pennsylvania," Barkdoll said of Winters. "Whatever he recommends, I want to see the career and technology center thrive."

Waynesboro Superintendent Barry Dallara encouraged members of the board to attend the Chambersburg meeting. He declined to comment on what his preference would be for the future of the center pending Winter's presentation.

"The potential exists to have a very positive future for career and technology education in Franklin County," Dallara said. "The question is, can the needs of the participating districts be met."

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