“We will see new opportunities for Tech Center students to earn college credit in welding technologies before finishing high school” – Tech Center Principal John Kraus (Photo courtesy School News Network)
The Michigan Department of Education announced that Kent ISD and 13 other ISDs and school districts across the state were awarded Career and Technical Education (CTE) Innovation and Equipment Grants.
The grants are intended to expand programs and purchase equipment in manufacturing-related areas. Kent ISD’s award of $300,000 will be used to purchase welding equipment including high-tech virtual reality training systems, expand current welding units in several Kent Career Tech Center programs, and provide welding training for adults, middle schoolers and in summer camps.
Campus Principal John Kraus said “coupled with robotics, welding technology is present in nearly every manufacturing environment. In addition to the virtual welders, we hope to acquire a high-tech robotic welder that will prepare students for a vast number of unfilled jobs right here in West Michigan.
“And through our established partnership with GRCC,” Kraus added, “we will see new opportunities for Tech Center students to earn college credit in welding technologies before finishing high school.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Let’s talk about a glaring example of the disconnect between the workforce and the pipeline of students who will soon enter it.
Last spring, Kent ISD, in partnership with local school districts, area manufacturing representatives, and Grand Rapids Community College, started advertising Launch U. That’s an early middle-college program that puts students directly into training for jobs in manufacturing with local businesses, allowing them to earn a free associate degree and credentials in the field.
AutoCam training director Steve Heethuis talks to Byron Center students about the plant’s operations
One snafu in planning was that partner companies didn’t want to promise to hold off hiring until students completed the program. Take a moment to consider that: The company representatives wanted to be able to hire the students, potentially before they completed the program.
Now consider this: Not enough students enrolled in two of the Launch U programs, precision machining and industrial maintenance, for those programs to start as scheduled in late August.
“We couldn’t get 24 students to sign up,” said Bill Smith, assistant superintendent of instructional services for Kent ISD. The plan is to reintroduce the programs next fall.
Smith said he believes many students aren’t getting the message that there are quicker and more affordable routes than a four-year degree into industries where they can thrive and make high wages. “The system that markets to the kids is still leaning toward ‘every kid of value should go to a four-year institution,'” Smith said.
“Until we change that mindset we are going to have these types of jobs sitting open. This is free education, a free associate’s, free workplace-recognized credentials in fields where you are going to get a job and that job is going to pay $80 K.”
AutoCam machinist Richard Tobias shows a part to students including, from left, sophomores Carter hickson and Spencer Julien.
Jobs are Unfilled
Smith was recently part of a group that met with Gov. Rick Snyder and U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta to talk about the gap between skilled workers and in-demand jobs, known as the “talent gap.” According to Snyder, 120,000 available jobs in Michigan are unfilled. Many are in the areas of manufacturing, engineering, information technology and hybrids of these fields.
“There is a need to have stackable credentials, and that need is greater than a college degree,” Smith said. “These jobs don’t go unfilled because people are unavailable; it’s because the talent isn’t aligned to get the job. We have to import workers when we really shouldn’t have to.”
Some companies have long vacancy lists of jobs, he added: “It’s almost impossible to fathom that we have that many jobs open and we can’t connect the unemployed to those jobs.”
With careers rapidly changing and college costs skyrocketing, it’s time for students to become exposed to the fact that there are post-secondary education and training options besides a four-year degree, he said.
Still, about 70 percent of all jobs require some kind of post-secondary education: technical certification, an apprenticeship, an associate or four-year degree.
“Kids have to be graduating from high school and they have to be going on to get some kind of post-secondary training, but it’s a wide range,” said Kevin Stotts, president of Talent 2025. Representing 115 area CEOs in manufacturing, healthcare, information technology, construction, engineering and business services, Talent 2025 works to align talent with workplace needs.
But ingraining that message into K-12 schools requires a shift, Stotts said.
Byron Center students watch a robot at work
“There was such an emphasis on ‘go to college.’ That was your ticket. (But) that could mean getting a degree in a field where there was no demand for that education and training.”
The “college” message was very strong during the economic downturn a few years ago and, though job losses occurred across many industries, manufacturing got a really bad rap, he said. Young people stopped considering it as an option, but the industry has since rebounded and revolutionized.
“We have more than recovered the jobs lost in the manufacturing industry since the Great Recession,” Stotts said. “The jobs that are back are better paying, require technical knowledge and skill, they are utilizing technology and they are in cleaner environments.”
Shrinking the Gap
With the gap becoming more evident, schools and businesses are working together to prepare students for the future West Michigan workforce.
Sixty Byron Center High School students recently toured four area manufacturers to get an up-close, hands-on look at operations that put them in touch with employers in the region’s biggest industry.
Junior Harrison Kosak said he wants to work in engineering or robotics, and that it helps to see what’s out there while still in high school.
“It helps me get more in-depth with what I want to do,” Harrison said as he toured AutoCam. “I can look at these different occupations and see what I might be interested in.”
Byron Center High School teacher Lary Shoemaker, who teaches drafting, CAM/CNC classes and pre-engineering, has 10 students taking his classes — more than 10 percent of the high school’s enrollment — proving that gearing up students for high-demand jobs is possible.
“In West Michigan, the school districts recognize that 25 percent of our jobs are in the manufacturing sector,” Shoemaker said. “We have companies right in Byron Center that are direct placement for students that enter this career path. We have great companies in Grand Rapids that support a manufacturing environment at the high school level.”
AutoCam is one example. Steve Heethuis, training director for the Kentwood firm, talked to the visiting students about career-pathway opportunities right at the company: apprenticeships and the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, which gives employees the opportunity to receive an associate degree for free. Many go on to get engineering degrees. AutoCam also offers internships, scholarships and is a partner in the Launch U Program.
“We are interested in them getting curious about manufacturing,” Heethuis said. “If they have an opportunity to come work for us or any other manufacturer, we feel like it’s a success because we recognize that manufacturing is absolutely vital to our long-term economic regional success. We feel like it’s our leadership position to introduce students to manufacturing.”
Two years ago, Byron Center hosted a college and career day, which included several area manufacturers who presented educational opportunities and apprentice programs.
“Anytime you can have students really talk directly to the people that are potential employers, it’s good real world experience,” Shoemaker said. “It’s almost like a pre-interview.”
Shoemaker, who worked 22 years in manufacturing before starting his teaching career, said schools need to play a role in shifting the paradigm when it comes to how skilled-trades jobs are viewed. It’s possible to receive training and degrees, paid for by companies and allowing students to finish without debt and with direct access to jobs. He’d also like more teachers to come from manufacturing backgrounds.
A Tight Market, Rising Wages
With regional unemployment below 4 percent, the job market is tight, Stotts said.
“That’s a marked change from seven years ago,” he stressed. “The unemployment rate is significantly less than even just a year ago. Employers are trying to find any available talent, so the scarcity of talent to fill open jobs is being seen across every industry and at every occupation level. … It’s tight across the board, across all industries.”
As a result, wages are projected to rise by more than 20 percent in several industries over the next 10 years.
Employers are coming together with education and workforce partners to consider education and training requirements, and how they line up with talent-development programs, Stotts said.
Working together, businesses and schools can begin exposing students to careers as early as middle school.
“The more we can expose students to the variety of industries and jobs and career pathways,” Stotts said, “the more informed those kids and their families will be about what it’s like to work in a field like manufacturing, and where they can go to get education and training.”
As he toured the manufacturing area of AutoCam Precision Components, Byron Center High School junior Devin Merchant said he’s glad to have the opportunity to get out in the field.
“I’m interested in computer hardware engineering,” Devin said. “I think exposing myself to as many opportunities as possible will be beneficial to me in the future.
“There are so many opportunities out there that I didn’t even realize there were.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Ron Caniff, superintendent of Kent ISD, says he did what 20 local superintendents asked him to do when he filed for a waiver in January with the Michigan Department of Education to start school before Labor Day. The ISD had asked for a waiver last year too, but withdrew it after discussions with the state dragged on.
But this go-round, when the authorization came through, superintendents didn’t quite expect it so fast. They went back to their communities to take their pulse. The result: 15 of 20 districts opted for the early start, while the remaining five stuck with the Tuesday after Labor Day, bound by multi-year collective bargaining agreements or summer construction projects.
While this year’s start dates are scattered, “All superintendents certainly understand and recognize the benefits of the common calendar and start date,” Caniff said. Those able to do so will try to align their calendars next year, but there is not yet “100 percent agreement” on the best start date, he added.
The three-year waiver impacts approximately 109,000 public district and charter school students. Caniff outlined the main rationale for a pre-Labor Day start:
Align Kent ISD school calendars with districts’ partner colleges and universities for dual enrollment or early/middle college opportunities. All traditional districts have a least one student participating;
Meet the state’s 180-day, 1,098-hour of instruction mandate, plus provide increased learning time for those taking state assessments, national exams like SAT and Advanced Placement tests in the spring.
Coincide semester’s end with the holiday break in December rather than administering final exams in late January;
Coordinate schedules for students enrolled in the Kent Career Tech Center and similar collaborative programs;
Summer’s over anyway for high school students in band and fall athletics who are already back and practicing.
Lastly, in a nod to tourism, districts with pre-Labor Day starts are taking Fridays off in August, giving parents the opportunity for long weekends.
Tech Center Up and Running
Despite districts’ varying opening days, classes began Monday for some 3,000 students in four Kent ISD campus programs: Kent Career Tech Center, Kent Innovation High, Kent Transition Center and MySchool@Kent.
“We’ve communicated that school starts Aug. 21 in every way possible, except carrier pigeon,” Tech Center Principal John Kraus said. “We are doing relevant instruction the first two weeks of school.”
For the students who don’t drive themselves to campus, district high schools will operate a shuttle bus to and from the ISD campus. If some students simply can’t start until their local districts began Sept. 5, the ISD will work with students one-on-one to remediate or to provide safety instructions that they missed, Kraus said.
“Nobody is going to put a student in a situation where they have not completed required safety training,” Kraus said. “Whether it is knife skills in culinary or ladder safety in construction, we’re committed to teaching our curriculum and won’t compromise on safety.”
On May 2, voters in the Kent ISD region will be asked to approve a 0.9 mill tax for local school districts, generating $211 per student to maintain programs, improve services and meet other needs. School News Network is offering information on what the millage means for each of the 20 districts in the Kent ISD. Today we focus on Wyoming Public Schools. SNN spoke with Superintendent Thomas Reeder
How much revenue would your district gain from the millage in the first year?
It depends on student enrollment changes, but in excess of $900,000.
What would you spend that increased revenue on, and how would this help your students?
“Our focus will be to maintain or improve upon our current staffing related to classroom instruction,” Reeder said, noting that the amount of revenue that would go toward staffing would depend on state funding and whether the district faces a budget crunch. Gov. Snyder has proposed a 1.3 percent increase in the state per-student aid budget for schools.
Other goals are increasing the number of extended-day and summer programs for all students, “from our most at-risk to our most gifted,” with more classes and learning opportunities. Ideas are for computer, band and theater programming.
A Parkview Elementary student picks out a book at his reading level. The district hopes to give every student more learning opportunities with the enhancement millage. (Photo courtesy of School News Network)
The district is also looking at improving technology support and resources at all levels, as well as increasing safety and security at all sites with improved surveillance equipment, Reeder said. Purchasing a bus each year to keep the fleet current is another goal.
The district also would like to add more staff members to work with students experiencing mental-health challenges.
If the millage were to fail, what changes or cuts would you have to make next school year?
“We will continue to make reductions as necessary, attempting to stay as far away from the classroom as possible, but will be unable to add any programming or other resources to the current model,” Reeder said. “The impact depends very much on what decisions are made at the state level related to funding.”
The district faces a projected $910,000 deficit in next year’s budget, depending on enrollment, and has a fund balance of about 10 percent. The recommended fund balance for Michigan schools is 15 to 20 percent, according to the Michigan School Business Officials.
What objections have you heard, if any, from your community, and what is your response?
Reeder said he has not yet heard any objections. He plans to host two community meetings in April to discuss the enhancement millage and a Wyoming Public Schools November bond request that would not raise property taxes.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
With a job fair Tuesday, March 7, Kent ISD and EDUStaff seek to increase the substitute teachers and support staff local districts badly need. The job fair takes place from 10am-2pm at Kent ISD’s administration building, 2930 Knapp Street NE, Grand Rapids, 49525.
EDUStaff is a Grand Rapids area company formed in 2010 to provide substitute staff for schools and works with many districts across the state. (EDUStaff is also a sponsor of School News Network.)
Finding substitute staff is increasingly difficult for schools, according to Kent ISD Superintendent Ron Caniff. “As Michigan’s job market has improved, our districts are having a tough time finding good staff, including subs. And these subs are a critical resource and an important part of the school family. They help students keep learning when staff are out ill, tending to the needs of their own families, or participating in the professional development that improves achievement.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Collaboration is the way forward, say leaders of West Michigan’s Reading Now Network. Teachers teaching other teachers, more staff with reading expertise, and learning from those whose students are excelling, are all actions the region’s schools are taking to change reading achievement numbers.
Dorothy VanderJagt, RNN field study member and director of Teaching & Learning at Kent ISD, said teachers presented best practices at the Fall Institute, share tips on the RNN Twitter feed and “are visiting other schools to dig deeper into those common traits of the high performers.”
Educators from the Field Study Team are working directly with schools that need to make big gains, with administrators who set a goal to meet or exceed their peers in two years.
The work of Reading Now Network, a collaborative effort to increase reading proficiency involving 100 districts in 13 counties, is well under way. It is paying off in districts like Kelloggsville, where additional staff and new techniques are helping students read in fun, new ways.
Source: Reading Now Network
Kyle Mayer, an RNN field study member and Ottawa Area ISD assistant superintendent, said the project’s findings have prompted many schools to take action.
“Every day I come to work and I hear about something else happening because of Reading Now Network,” Mayer said.
The network was launched in the spring of 2014, examining best instructional practices at five West Michigan elementary schools with high reading success rates in order to implement them region-wide.
Schools studied ranged from urban to rural, with varying levels of poverty. They are: Brown Elementary in Byron Center, North Godwin, Lakeshore Elementary in Holland, Coit Creative Arts Academy in Grand Rapids, and Sunfield Elementary in Lakeview Community Schools.
Curriculum leaders visited the schools (all of which scored high on third-grade reading MEAP tests), over the course of an eight-month study to identify why they were high performers.
Students “arm spell,” a multi-sensory approach that helps them remembers sounds
One District’s Response
Tammy Savage, Kelloggsville Public Schools director of instruction, added two new reading instructional specialists this year, partly in response to information she learned at a spring RNN symposium.
Specialists Suzanne Schmier and Janna Schneider joined Sue Lathrop this fall to work full-time in the district’s three elementary schools. For the past few years, Lathrop was spread among all three schools, assisted by paraprofessionals.
The goal is to create a consistent, structured, very focused reading intervention program for students, Savage said. Teachers are using data to identify students’ needs.
Learning how to implement best practices is taking shape in different ways, said Mayer, the field study member. A sold-out event at Kent ISD in November brought together 200 area principals to learn from leaders of the schools originally studied for their reading practices.
“Principals can go back and start making immediate changes based on what they learned,” Mayer said.
Three schools where educators are not satisfied with reading results have been named “lab” schools. Field study members are working with them on instructional practices to help them improve their results, Mayer said. The schools represent three counties and have varying demographics, including differing income levels and locations.
A Peek Into a Classroom
In Kelloggsville, reading sessions are a multi-sensory experience. Students see, touch, hear, and even smell and taste the words — when letters double as licorice sticks.
During a recent class with Shmier, West Kelloggsville Elementary students acted out what they were reading. A sentence about a girl who hurt her lip had them pouting. Another about flying kites had them pretending to send them soaring.
“That’s fun!” said second-grader Alyssa VanVolkinburg. “It’s fun to make the motions.”
Students wrote letters on plastic tablets, velvet and laminate; they spelled out words with their fingers and while touching different spots on their arms. They talked vividly about what they read.
The coaches, all longtime Kelloggsville teachers, were also recently trained in Orton-Gillingham methodologies, which promote multi-sensory learning.
Tools Are Available
In-depth videos with interviews from administrators, teachers and students taken at the school, are available on the Reading Now Network web site.
One thing made clear from the field study was that high-performing schools are “data-driven,” meaning they constantly used test scores and other data to improve instruction – often on a daily basis. Teachers are being trained to easily access data through an Edify software system, which Kent ISD first developed.
Enadina Mencho-Vail acts out flying a kite after reading about it
Kent ISD received a state grant to develop an early literacy alert and intervention system. The intent is to equip teachers participating in RNN with lots of resources to help students reading below grade level. These resources will be offered free of charge to the schools and service agencies within the Reading Now Network.
