School districts forming joint vocational program

The Libby, Eureka and Troy school districts are working together to open a joint vocational education center, offering welding and automotive shop classes to students beginning in the fall of 2016. 

The program, Lincoln County Charter School of Innovation, is intended to provide a jump-start to students desiring a vocational education.

“The vision of the Lincoln County Charter School of Innovation program is to better prepare all students in Lincoln County to be college and career ready,” district representatives wrote in an executive summary of the program. “The mission of the Lincoln County Charter School of Innovation program will be to ensure career pathways with hands-on technical experience and advance opportunities to participating juniors and seniors. Lincoln County school districts, businesses, post-secondary education and other pertinent entities will collaborate to offer hands-on, career focused, educational opportunities for students in Libby, Troy and Eureka.”

Superintendents Dr. Jacob Francom, of Troy Public Schools, and Craig Barringer, of Libby Public Schools, presented the idea to a combined group of business, education and civic leaders at a meeting held at Troy High School Friday, Jan. 22. The districts are applying for a charter program status through the Montana Office of Public Instruction, which could be the first such charter approved in Montana if accepted. The charter program will allow the districts greater flexibility in the management of the vocational end of the educational program, especially with relation to curriculum and scheduling requirements. The students will attend their hands-on vocational training in the morning at the joint center and return to their regular schools for afternoon courses.

Francom told the group assembled at Troy High School the preliminary plan would be for a small group of students, likely less than 20, to begin automotive shop and welding classes in the fall of 2016. Those classes will be reserved for junior and senior students with a demonstrated desire to pursue those vocations beyond their high school years.

“These students will be well vetted,” Francom said. “We are going to make sure they’re serious about these programs and continuing them after high school.”

The schools are partnering with the Lincoln County Campus of Flathead Valley Community College, which will provide participating students with the opportunity to earn college credits and to receive certifications in their respective fields for their coursework in the charter program.

The inspiration for the program, Barringer said, came in part from a presentation by representatives of Hecla Mining at a workshop immediately prior to the beginning of the school year. During the presentation, Hecla vice president Luke Russel spoke to the assembled educators about the skills the company looks for when recruiting and hiring new employees. The district officials took the lessons to heart and started devising a program by which they could better prepare Lincoln County’s students for the future workforce.

Libby, Francom said, has an exceptional vocational facility that sits essentially empty. Troy and Eureka have students with the aptitude and desire to learn those skills. By pooling resources the districts can afford to open the Libby facility and offer a broader scope of vocational education to students who prefer a vocational path to the traditional four-year college education.

At the weekly meeting of the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners Wednesday, Jan. 27, the superintendents explained their ambitious plan to the commissioners and asked them to help support the vocational center. They asked the commissioners to commit $27,000 to help purchase three four-post lifts for the automotive shop. The shop currently has two-post lifts, which are adequate for professionals, but which could pose safety concerns for students in training. The commissioners agreed to put the item on their Feb. 3 agenda and make a decision on the matter.

To help offset the remaining costs of the program, the districts have been pursuing a number of grant opportunities. They have already received a $20,000 grant from the Dennis and Phyllis J. Washington Foundation in Missoula.

Assuming early successes, the superintendents told the commissioners they intend to expand the vocational program’s offerings to include medical technology, medical coding, commercial driving, electronics and a number of vocational programs.