Today is Earth Day. It’s a great day to clean up a little bit, maybe recycle that old pair of sneakers, think about finding farmer’s markets to visit through the spring and summer or head over to the UConn Spring Fling on Fairfield Way. While considering how creative thinking can benefit the planet, it’s also a great day to consider how other out-of-the-box institutions in our society are also just as important.

If Gov. Malloy had his way, at the end of this year 17 vocational-technical high schools across the state will have lost the state funding that keeps them operational. At this point, control of the building and property would go to the towns in which they are located. The decision to continue to operate these buildings as specialized regional institutions would be at the discretion of the towns. Malloy’s argument is that these schools are a large expense in the state budget, and in most other states, regional councils fund such programs.

Fortunately, the schools are safe for the moment, pending a 10-month study that will evaluate the performance and needs of the vo-tech school system in Connecticut. The sad truth is that most of the schools are stuck with outdated or derelict equipment, and are in dire need of maintenance. On Jan, 15, 2012, the Education Committee will file a report with the state, according to State Representative Michelle Cook. She also stated that the committee’s goal is to seek measures that would improve the schools rather than eliminate them.

Elimination would be one measure that would push education measures in this state backwards, and further burden students at all levels. The mission of vo-tech schools is to provide the same immersion, learning and academic experience as a traditional high school, but to overlay a hands-on technical experience that will aid students in establishing careers upon graduation, or aid them in higher education goals should they choose to pursue them. In high school, these students are learning to work with innovative and adapting technologies, and graduate highly trained in specialized areas such as hvac, green and environmental technology, and even as licensed practicing nurses – a program in this state with a 100 percent job placement rate. How many other programs can boast that? When measuring against more traditional school systems, the vo-tech program is extremely high-performing in comparison.

Also, thanks to an NSF grant and the GK12 federal program, these students work directly with UConn graduate engineering students, not only expanding the skills they develop in high school, but learning how their skills can be applied in higher education institutions. There is a push to have these students attend UConn for engineering, so that the programs can continue to develop and become more innovative on both sides.

Vo-tech schools fill a large gap in our society for students who may just think outside of the box of the ‘test culture’ that has become the mainstream education process. Public education needs to continue to provide opportunities for those who have different interests and are extremely talented at different things. Just as our society tries to protect fine arts programs and magnet schools, we have to protect the vo-tech school system and make sure that these students’ needs are met. If the alternative is shutting down the schools and reaping the potential consequence of any percentage of 10,600 students falling through the cracks of mainstream education, instead of being given the tools to develop their skills, those are consequences we can not afford.