PD Editorial: A promising plan for vocational education

Like a hardy perennial, vocational education keeps sprouting on California’s agenda.

Pundits, policymakers and politicians regularly lament the decline of auto shop, woodworking, farm mechanics and other hands-on classes catering to students who may not be college-bound.

Just last week, state Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, suggested to The Press Democrat Editorial Board that vocational education, or career technical education as it’s often called, should become a high school graduation requirement.

That strikes us as excessive, but McGuire is right when he says that vocational programs should have a larger presence in California high schools.

To that end, Santa Rosa City Schools has a promising idea: a charter high school dedicated to career and technical education.

The district already operates charter elementary schools dedicated to the arts, accelerated academic learning and bilingual studies in both Spanish and French. Within the district’s five high schools, students can pursue visual or performing arts, International Baccalaureate and science and engineering studies as well as a full year of college credit prior to graduation.

There are vocational offerings as well, including culinary arts at Maria Carrillo High and agriculture and animal science at Elsie Allen High. A charter high school dedicated to career pathways would complement those programs.

“I’m envisioning this being a very unique school, something we don’t have in Sonoma County right now,” school board President Donna Jeye said. “I see this as an opportunity we can’t pass up, for the sake of our students.”

Jeye’s comments came last week as the board voted to bid on the Sonoma County Water Agency’s old offices on West College Avenue in Santa Rosa. The 7½-acre property, which has been on the market since 2014, is scheduled to be auctioned on Dec. 4.

Although the board voted 6-0, the decision prompted criticism from homeless advocates who want the site set aside for low-cost housing. The teachers union warned of a dual-track system that could fuel segregation in the Santa Rosa school district.

There’s no denying that Sonoma County has a housing crisis, and nothing would stop a builder from bidding on the Water Agency property. At one point, a shelter for homeless veterans was planned for the site. But that fell through, and a proposal recently surfaced to convert a Santa Rosa Avenue motel into housing for vets.

Segregation is a legitimate concern that Superintendent Socorro Shiels and the school board must account for in opening any new school. So are the needs of Santa Rosa students, which begin with readiness for career or college.

Many of the occupations associated with high school vocational classes also require some higher education, perhaps a certificate program at a community college or a technical school. And barely one in five Santa Rosa high school graduates qualifies - much less applies - for admission to the state’s four-year universities.

It’s still early in the process, and school officials will have to answer many questions about the charter school proposal. But richer vocational offerings could encourage some students to complete high school and, better yet, pursue some form of higher education. That’s an idea worth pursuing.