College Restricts Offerings

ai County school superintendents ■land the trustees of Washtenaw ■ibommunity College agreed to vork together in developing vo■cational education for county lyouth but the college board reIjected the superintendents' proIposal that the college take all Iresponsibility for llth and 12th ■grade vocational training. ; The board last night heard a Ipresentation by Nick A. Ianni, lassistant superintendent for 1 lislation and special projects for Ithe county Intermedíate School lüistrict, which asked the college Ito "consider the feasibility ofj Ijjroviding all of the vocational leducation for the county." Under this plan students from 7r aiMHMiaBBa the high school districts would Bj travel daily to the communityl college for their vocationalB training and related subjects in Ij block time programs. Ninth and BI tenth grade students would haveB pre-vocational courses at thel I high schools. 1 The advantages cited for thisl 1 plan were broader selections ofl high school programs, the com-Bj munity college's depth in courses Hl offered, and that courses forB! which local high school 11 ment is loo small can still befll provided. I The step from high school to II college vocational t r a i n i n g Ij would be a natural one, Ij lege prestige encourages more BI active employer involvementli Iwere created, lo get a I ■ table post-high school program I llgoing. We feel we should walk I II bef ore we run." ) I Ardis said he was not opposed I Ito "taking a hard look" at high I ■ school programs and needs, but, I I "If we spread ourselves too I I thin we might not be effective." ■He also questioned the "image" : lof the college to potential I ■ lege students if the college I icompasses high school students. I Wenrich agreed that the II ■ lege and school districts need I Ito achieve a división of labor I lin vocational education but I Istated his strong personal view I I that the superintendents' I ■ posal would be "inappropriate I Ifor the community college." "My position is that the high I ■ schools can not abdícate their I I responsibility for high school I lyouth. Finances and control I ■ should rest with the sccondary, I ■not the community college I ■ trict," Wenrich said. I "To remove this function from I I the high schools is to say to I ■ them, 'You now have a single I ■purpose of college preparatory I ■work,' " he said. I H "High school students may I ■get squeezed out of the college I ■ when the pressure from 13th I ■ and 14th grade students rises. I ■ They will be forced back to the I Ihigh schools and will find no I ■ vocational education to return I ■ to," Wenrich said. I Ianni said the elective I ■ lege board is unlikely tol l"squeeze out" the llth and 12th I ■ graders without being sure of I ■ the implications. He added that I ■ the school districts would help I Ithe college get the money to I ■ opérate the programs. I Wenrich ended the I Ision, after comments by I ■Ividual superintendents by I ling, "We all realize that the I I high schools here are too small I I to do the job and together we I I should be able to do what they I I :an't do individually. There I I Lvould be some doubt as to our I I upport of your specific I ■ dos al but there is no opposition II ■ o continuing to work on it." 1