Edison High School of Technology is Montgomery County Public Schools' well-regarded career and technology education program. Students who are accepted into one of the nineteen career-oriented programs spend a half-day at their home high schools, and the other half of their day working towards certifications in areas as varied as carpentry, plumbing, interior design, digital graphics, auto body repair, and more. Both students who foresee college in their future and those who anticipate entering the workforce after high school benefit from the highly-skilled and dedicated staff who help the students achieve success.
Why, then is MCPS trying to fundamentally change a program that is working? Theresa Defino, a Edison parent, said she learned at Back To School night at Edison this week that pending MCPS receipt of a grant, a plan to merge Edison with Wheaton High School would be going forward, and word on the grant was expected on September 15. She said she and other parents were "stunned" and they'd never heard a word about this.
In June, the Washington Examiner reported that word was leaking out to parents about the proposed changes. But since June, the Board of Education has not discussed the proposed changes in public, and parents wonder what exactly the changes to the program will be that are being discussed behind closed doors.
No more surprises. Any proposed changes to this vital, necessary vocational program should be presented to the public well in advance of any Board of Education discussion or vote. At this point, it isn't even clear whether the BOE will get a vote on the proposal. The public has the right to have the future of Edison High School of Technology discussed thoroughly in a public forum with input from parents, staff, students, and community employers. And the fact that MCPS applied for a grant to change the program? MCPS must make the grant application public as soon as possible, so that the community knows what MCPS has been planning all along.
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