(Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel © 03/27/2012)
By Erin Richards of the Journal Sentinel
Gov. Scott Walker
will be in Racine Monday to sign legislation that allows school boards to grant
a vocational diploma to students and that boosts funding for a nonprofit that
places at-risk students in work environments while they earn their diplomas,
according to a statement from the governor's office.
Walker to sign vocational education legislation in Racine
Gov. Scott Walker will be in Racine Monday to sign
legislation that allows school boards to grant a vocational diploma to students
and that boosts funding for a nonprofit that places at-risk students in work
environments while they earn their diplomas, according to a statement from the
governor's office.
Currently, students in Wisconsin need only 13.5 credits to
graduate: four credits of English, three of social studies, two of science, two
of math, 1.5 credits of physical education and half a credit of health
education.
The new legislation would allow school boards to grant a
vocational high school diploma to a pupil who has not earned all 13.5 of those
academic credits, but has earned a sufficient number of credits in
vocational subjects, as determined by the school board.
The number of high school credits required by Wisconsin is
one of the lowest in the country - though most high schools do require more
than the minimum state credits. But it will be interesting to see how
school boards interpret this new law - what is considered a
"sufficient" number of credits in vocational subjects for a student
to be prepared for work or life after high school?
Also, the new legislation to be signed would boost funding
to a program called Second
Chance Partners for Education, http://www.secondchancepartners.org/partners.html
a nonprofit that partners with districts to identify students at risk of not
graduating. The nonprofit partners with businesses and then hooks them up with
the students, allowing the kids to work for six hours a day - and earn a
paycheck - in a rotation of different businesses while spending two hours a day
in classroom instruction.
Here's a story
about how the program works.
Second Chance used to get state funding of about $4,600 per
student, but the new law would grant them the same per-pupil allotment that
public charter schools receive. Currently, charter schools receive $7,775 per
pupil.
The amount of state aid that the participating student's
home school district would otherwise receive for their enrollment would be
reduced by the amount paid to Second Chance, according to the legislation.
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