CITY, COUNTY CONSIDERING VO-TECH PROGRAM MERGER

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, February 16, 1993                   TAG: 9302160280
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
CITY, COUNTY CONSIDERING VO-TECH PROGRAM MERGER
Roanoke and Roanoke County schools are considering a merger of their vocational-technical education programs.
Roanoke School Board member Nelson Harris approached county school officials late last year with a suggestion that the localities form a study committee to explore a joint vo-tech program.
"Vocational education tends to be a little more expensive than other classes," Harris said. "I wondered what we could do cooperatively to benefit the students. What are ways we can cooperate in this area that would enhance technical education as it's currently offered by both school divisions?"
Vocational education has stepped beyond the wood shop and industrial arts image of old. Even its label has been modified in some school systems to reflect the change.
"That whole field of public education has grown and developed so much that at least in the city system, we call it business and technical education," Harris said. "It seeks to equip students with some technical skills that are marketable in a technological job market."
Roanoke students attend vo-tech classes at the Gibboney Technical Center at Patrick Henry High School and the Lawson Center for High Technology at William Fleming High School. In Roanoke County, students attend vo-tech classes at the Arnold R. Burton Technology Center.
The Roanoke School Board will consider appointing a study committee tonight to explore the proposal with Roanoke County. The county school board appointed its study committee last month.
"We indicated that we were interested if there was some savings involved," board Chairman Frank Thomas said.
The committee's six-month study would include examining whether the vo-tech programs should be merged at one location or by an agreement that would enable students to cross school boundaries to take classes.
The proposal "does not necessarily mean that we will only look at whether or not to have an actual center," Harris said. "That will be one option that we will look at. But we want to explore other ways we might be able to cooperate with or without a regional technical center."
Building a regional center likely would mean "tremendous" cost, Thomas said.
"I don't see us building a regional center," he said. "We're looking at a program that would allow students to attend classes that each school system offers," he said.
Should the two localities decide to cooperate, other area school systems could be asked to participate, Harris said.
Statewide, there are 11 joint vo-tech centers with 40 school systems participating.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB