Vocational school admissions rules can block the most suitable candidates

I was their special education teacher in the traditional high school and encouraged them to stay in school and get their diplomas when they had a hard time seeing the value in it. The high school journey for these students, many of whom would have been much better off in a vocational setting, is often difficult and sometimes unsuccessful. Thomas Hehir confirmed this in his 2013 report to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, under then-Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester, “Students with Disabilities in Massachusetts Career and Technical Education Programs.” Hehir’s team found “strong evidence that students with prevalent disabilities who attend regional career and technical schools graduate from high school in four years at significantly higher rates than students with prevalent disabilities who attend traditional high school programs.”

I believe that providing our often marginalized students with a greater opportunity to graduate and learn a skill is a win-win-win for the state of Massachusetts, our future workforce, and most importantly, the students we serve.

Carol J.Flionis

To hold

Professionals are growing older and retiring. What will happen to this important workforce?

The article “In vocational schools, a tilt towards the elite” really struck a chord with me. We are admitting the wrong children to vocational and technical education. This admission policy is tragic, not only for the students, but also for our economy.

I work in renovation and construction. We have an extreme shortage of skilled workers. Five years ago, the average age of a plumber in Massachusetts was about 56 and about 52 for licensed electricians — and those numbers have increased. A lack of skilled workers means more expensive housing and a shortage of workers for environmental projects like wind turbines, EV infrastructure, and solar and heat pump installations.

There were 8,500 high school seniors this spring who were denied a chance to pursue a career in a chosen field because they were denied admission to the state’s trade schools. Many of the students who are accepted into these schools go on to college, while more and more professionals are retiring.

We need to make admissions to voke-tech a lottery so that more children who want to work with their hands have the opportunity. Let’s help these children and help ourselves to ensure that there are enough skilled workers for the transition to the green economy.

Nina Hackel

Nashua

The author owns a company that renovates kitchens and bathrooms.

Schools need more chairs. The state must release more money for this.

There is broad agreement that we need more places in our vocational schools to meet the needs of students and businesses, but that is not going to happen under our current system of funding these schools.

Vocational schools cost more to build and operate than traditional schools, and much of that cost falls on the cities and towns that are members of regional vocational schools. It is extremely difficult to get voter approval for higher operating budgets and debt exclusions for new construction in multiple cities, especially when only a small number of students attend a vocational school in a given city. And too often, requests for funding from vocational schools are seen as competing with the financial needs of local K-12 schools.

The state must play a much greater role in financing our vocational education system.

Jeff Wulfson

Brookline

The writer is a retired Deputy Commissioner of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.

Why burden struggling students with unrealistic standards?

The article on vocational education states that students in these schools must complete all academic requirements for graduation while earning a vocational certificate. The successful student, like all students, will have to maintain passing grades and meet rigorous standards in the courses. It is unrealistic and a waste of limited resources to place this burden on certain students who are already struggling with minimal school standards.

As it stands, the regional business schools’ acceptance rates are about the same as those of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The state’s flagship public university tries to offer its resources to those most likely to use them — a selective process. To do otherwise would be a waste of limited resources.

In essence, the goals of the state’s vocational schools are no different from those of Boston’s exam schools. Each should be able to attract the students who best fit.

Jim Mesthene

Waltham

The writer is a retired professional.

Online readers debate the issue

Below is an edited selection of comments left by readers on BostonGlobe.com in response to Mandy McLaren and Christopher Huffaker’s story:

My daughter went to Norfolk County Agricultural High School. Many of the students came from districts with bad reputations and attended Aggie to get a better education than their hometown school. Many of the students came from farming families and were interested in the field as a career. The state needs to fund more places and more special services. Norfolk Aggie had less special services for students with IEPs than our hometown school. We also need to remember that children often change their minds once they are exposed to subject areas and subjects. My daughter certainly did. (eastsight)

It is not just the need for more chairs. There are other factors to consider. Children with behavioral problems should not be near machinery or power tools, for safety reasons. Also, attendance is more important for hands-on training than for bookwork. Finally, the professions are more technology-based than ever, so students really need to be able to learn the related math and science. (Taxpayer56)

Schools need to provide the training that students want. If more kids want to go to vocational schools, then school systems need to expand the number of vacancies in vocational schools and reduce the number of vacancies in other schools. Education needs to be for the benefit of students. (78sman3)

Vocational training should be introduced in primary school because it ties in well with mathematics education. Seeing real applications for mathematics could increase a young person’s motivation to learn mathematics. (Justthedata2)