KTEC: Ignored Reality
How many of us make plans for our children's future when they are little and state, "My Johnny or my Susie is going to college." Realistically, most all of us do, and for good cause. A college education is always a worthy goal. But the Ignored Reality is that almost two-thirds of all kids who enter the school system will not go on to college and get a degree. In fact, a full 25 percent of them will not even finish K-12. They'll drop out.
One of the main reasons this occurs is that our K-12 school system is geared primarily toward the academics the college-bound kids need. At the same time, many of the others who will eventually work in a skilled trade begin the process of failing the goal of "My Johnny or my Susie is going to college." Learning a skill and pursuing a career as a professional technical worker should not begin once our children are informed they are failing their parents' dream of going to college.
The proposed KTEC facility is a terrific solution to help our children pursue a professional technical career. For the past several years, our local school districts have been meeting regularly with local employers and NIC to develop the proposed facility. Land has been gifted and much of the needed equipment will be donated by the business interests. The group has wisely selected the SPFL method of funding the construction, which pays for the improvements with no debt to the school district to pay off. At the end of the two years, the facility is completely paid for. Further, since the KTEC students are part of the school district, state funding is available just as if they were in one of our other classrooms.
In today's economy, we all are concerned about added costs, yet the most important local and national concern is the creation of jobs. The local employers involved with KTEC have recognized their need for trained, skilled workers. They will hire these individuals with good paying jobs and real benefits, and these young people will be employable sooner than following the failed academic path that many find themselves on today.
Our local economic development corporation, Jobs Plus, has found that the companies they recruit are, for the most part, very interested in the quality of training our local workforce has received before they commit to relocate their company.
This reality provides further evidence that the proposed KTEC facility will substantially help with the creation of new, quality jobs in Kootenai County.
We have the opportunity to be a leader in the direction of secondary schooling in our country. Similar facilities have already proven to be very successful in reducing the dropout rate and increasing the size and quality of the trained professional workforce.
Won't you please join me in supporting and voting yes for the KTEC SPFL on Aug. 24.
John Barlow is president of Hagadone Real Estate Holding Co. and president of the Jobs Plus board of directors.