HARTFORD, CT - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that he will propose legislation to make changes to the Connecticut Technical High School System (CTHSS) that will tailor programming to the needs of employers, so that students are better prepared for real-world employment when they graduate. The plan will set high standards for students and for the schools, and would be benchmarked against national and global models in the area of vocational and technical training. The Governor will ask the Department of Education, in collaboration with the Board of Regents, Department of Labor and Department of Economic and Community Development to lead the process.
“Turning the corner on decades of economic decline means we have to prepare our students for a successful future in the high-tech workforce and we have to create the skilled labor that Connecticut companies need to compete globally,” said Governor Malloy. “When these reforms are in place, we will position our technical high school system to offer programs that are relevant for the high-tech jobs of today and tomorrow.”
“If we want to stop our students, our children, from leaving Connecticut, we have to give them a reason to stay here,” said Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman. “This proposal is another way we can do that – by preparing students for careers in emerging fields like precision manufacturing, bioscience and fuel cells and ensuring that their skills are directly matched with the needs of our businesses.”
The changes announced today stem from the January recommendations of the Connecticut Technical High School System Task Force and build on the outcomes of the October jobs special session. In addition to the new programming, the Governor is also proposing changing the governance of the CTHSS to an independent, 11-member board whose members are made by appointment. Four members will be executives of Connecticut employers nominated by regional chambers and other business organizations of commerce and appointed by the Governor, four members appointed by the State Board of Education, and the Commissioners of the Department of Education, Department of Economic and Community Development and Department of Labor would serve in an ex-officio capacity. The Governor will appoint the new board’s chair, who will also serve ex-officio on the State Board of Education.
This moves the 20-school system to the purview of a board dedicated solely to its operations and removes oversight from the State Board of Education.
“The Governor’s plan invites the investment of the private sector in our vocational technical schools – ensuring that we’re preparing students for the jobs of tomorrow and enabling stronger school-to-workplace connections,” said Stefan Pryor, the State Education Commissioner. “The plan also ensures a continuing connection to the State Department of Education which, working with our fellow state departments, will help to position our technical high school system in a way that draws from and compares favorably to national and global models.”
The Governor is also allocating $500,000 in additional funding to increase the training resources and supplies for students.
In a report issued January 10, 2012, the Connecticut Technical High School System Task Force recommended:
· Continuing state operations of the CTHSS;
· Requiring the state Department of Education to develop CTHSS’s strategic plan in conjunction with the Departments of Labor, Economic and Community Development, Higher Education, and specific business and industry consortiums;
· Establishing a separate CTHSS board to set standards to which the superintendent of the CTHSS would be accountable; and
· Benchmarking standards against international leaders.
The Task Force was established under section 191 of Public Act 11-48, An Act Implementing Provisions of the Budget Concerning General Government.
