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Medford district looks at skill center File photo courtesy the Columbian A skills center like this one in Vancouver, Wash., offers vocational programs designed to prepare students for jobs such as computer repair directly out of high school. About 20 local school officials and community leaders toured the facility recently to get a firsthand look at the kind of school proposed for the Medford district. The center would be paid for through a bond measure proposed for 2002. Would give North, South students courses in various jobs Stories by DAMIAN MANN Clark County Courses These are courses offered at the Clark County Skills Center, toured last week by local school and business officials. Automotive Technology. Computer Integrated Manufacturing. Construction Technology. Cosmetology. Criminal Justice. Dental Assisting. Diesel Technology. Electro-Digital Technologies. Financial Customer Services. Health and Medical Careers. Hotel Careers. Legal/Medical Office Skills. Management. Painter/Drywall Pre-apprenticeship. Restaurant Management/Culinary Arts. Medford�s two high schools could shift about 20 vocational programs to a proposed $40 million skill center as part of a major restructuring of local education. This facility, based on one toured recently by local community leaders in Vancouver, Wash., could give more than 2,000 students a year from North and South Medford high schools hands-on experience in everything from criminal justice to nursing. Designed for 1,000 students at a time, the center could conceivably run two shifts a day. The skill center would be built if voters approve a bond measure in 2002, allowing completion of the facility by 2004. Many vocational programs now offered at the high schools such as food service and computer programming are potential candidates for the skill center. The Medford School District has 2,685 students in these programs this year, though many of these students are enrolled in more than one program. About 20 local community leaders visited the Clark County Skills Center in Vancouver last week to get a firsthand look. "I wish I could go to one of those schools," Kim Davis, of North Medford High School said. Many of the students at this skill center transfer to college, but others already have high-paying jobs lined up, she said. "I was really impressed with making $15 an hour after high school," said Davis. Superintendent Steve Wisely said the district�s vocational courses now are relatively basic. "The skill center�s training is raised to a point where a student can leave and join the work force immediately," he said. The district estimates it might cost $70 million to build the center, a new middle school and make improvements to the two existing high schools, all part of a plan to restructure Medford education and ease overcrowding. This would be paid for by an increase in property taxes of 95 cents for each $1,000 in assessed valuation � about $146 on a $150,000 house. The center would give students the ability to immediately enter the work force or give them a head start at Rogue Community College or another higher institution. But the district has much to do before it can build the center, which would be three times the size of Clark County�s. Popular in other states, this would be only the second center of its kind in Oregon. Portland-based LSW Architecture, which designed the Clark County facility, and the Medford firm of Doug Skelton will work together on the plans. By 2004, the district estimates the two high schools will be overcrowded. The skill center would not only alleviate the overcrowding problem but allow the high schools to concentrate on core curriculum to help students achieve higher marks on state testing. Students still would be enrolled in one of the two high schools and would be required to fulfill normal courses for graduation. They would be bused to the skill center. Wisely is also working with businesses in the community to align skill center programs with local work force needs. Bill Thorndike, president of Medford Fabrication, said his company would benefit from the district�s plan. After visiting the Clark County center, Thorndike said, "I was struck by the potential." He said because students make the connection between the physical and the theoretical, they are better able to enter the work force. Thorndike cited a recent report released by the National Commission on the High School Senior Year and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The report concludes that for some students, their senior year is essentially a wasted year. As a result, schools are encouraged to focus more on training for highly skilled jobs. "This has reinforced what a lot of people in Oregon have felt," said Thorndike. But he doesn�t believe it will be an easy undertaking for Medford schools to build or operate the center. "It�s going to be a challenge," he said. "It�s going to be more expensive but of higher value." Leslie Ashcraft, culinary arts teacher at South Medford High, gave her reaction to the culinary class at Clark County: "I was jealous." She said the facility offered a commercial-level culinary experience rather than a more traditional home economics course at her school. "I see my students 80 minutes every other day," she said. "There, they spend three hours every day." For those who go on to culinary institutes, Ashcraft said, these students would save on tuition by taking some of the preliminary courses at the skill center. Private contributions boost skills center in Vancouver, Wash., area More expensive to run than a typical school, the Clark County Skills Center relies on the kindness of local organizations to augment its revenues. Director Dennis Kampe said he has to find about $141,000 each year in contributions to run the 350-student center. "I spend a lot of time in the community looking for donations," he said. The school also receives supplemental funding because of its alternative education program. "We have some enhanced funding from the state of Washington," he said. Kampe calculates it costs $700 more for each full-time student than at a typical educational facility. But Kampe said the annual $2.25 million to run the center is worth the price. "We give the community a good return on its investment," he said. f the students who have graduated from the Skills Center in the last three years, 62 percent found jobs, took additional schooling or went into military programs related to training; 35 percent found work unrelated to training; and only 3 percent were unemployed after graduation. Kampe said he doesn�t mind the amount of time he spends looking for donations because he is able to accommodate many of the organizations and businesses who need his graduates. The biggest expenses for the 18-year-old facility are the constant and ever-changing improvements in technology and the amount of space needed for lab areas. To make sure the community gets a lot of bang for its buck, Kampe said, the facility stays open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., is rented out on Saturdays and offers an adult education section during the evenings. Although the center can only handle about 350 students at a time, it is able to train 735 students during the three shifts offered each day. Steve Wisely, superintendent of the Medford School District, said he hasn�t calculated yet what the annual operating costs will be for the local skill center, though he anticipates transferring some staff from both North and South Medford high schools. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.