Technical school on the horizon for Shoshone County

SILVERTON — A potential change is on the horizon which could alter the educational landscape of Shoshone County forever.

Last week, representatives from all three local schools districts along with several members of the community met to sign a letter of intent to the Idaho Division of Career and Technical Education to begin the formal planning of a Silver Valley technical school.

VTEC (Valley Technical Education Campus) has been in the works for some time after community members Keri Alexander and Michele Wood began meeting in the hopes of figuring out a solution to Shoshone County’s lack of CTE-type educational options for high school-aged students.

The VTEC Support and Marketing Committee was then formed by a group of community members, business owners and school personnel who have a passion for children and recognize the need to offer educational opportunities in technical career fields.

They aspired to identify the employment needs of the Silver Valley community businesses and assist with the development of technical programs that will provide well-trained and valued employees from the local school districts.

Technical education covers a myriad of fields — including medical, technological, construction and many others.

By signing the letter of intent, the districts are basically agreeing to work together in order to hit various milestones as desired by ICTE.

Some of those milestones include completing a preliminary plan, meeting with neighboring school administrators, establishing a curriculum and making sure it and the instructors meet the proper requirements, and even establishing a transportation plan.

The programs offered would be in correlation with the local school districts and would be paid for through grants monies from ICTE and would be at no cost to taxpayers.

The districts would need to figure out one cost, that being transportation, but at this point it appears to be a welcome cost if it means VTEC comes into existence.

“The Kellogg School District is thrilled to work toward this opportunity with Wallace School District, the Silver Valley Economic Development Corporation and local industry,” KSD superintendent Dr. Nancy Larsen said. “Not only will VTEC benefit Kellogg’s students, it will bring opportunities to the entire Silver Valley. Working cooperatively together brings strength and it makes me proud to have taken this next step toward the formation of VTEC. Although we have more work ahead, the end result is a worthy cause.”

The program would utilize the facilities that are currently available at the existing schools, which would allow the program’s creation without having to bond or levy funds to build a new building or facility.

The group has local business support, and as mentioned in Dr. Larsen’s comments, the support and helpful willingness of the Silver Valley Economic Development Corporation, which has been looking into various angles for a program such as this for some time.

“With all the districts and Idaho Career & Technical Education at the table, finding innovative ways to make a CTE program work is a huge step forward,” said Colleen Rosson, SVEDC coordinator. “Career technical programs in high school create a highly positive impact on preparing our children for their career journey. They give the opportunity for our students to develop knowledge and skills necessary for the job market. Through real world application and hands-on learning, those students will have skills and confidence to pursue the high skill, high demand and high wage opportunities. CTE programs have shown a higher graduation rate and an increased ability to find higher paying careers. Employers appreciate the skills these students graduate with and look positively on communities who implement foundational programs for their residents.”

At KTEC (Kootenai Technical Education Campus) in Rathdrum, graduating seniors have an average of 3.1 job offers per student upon graduation.

Giving students the ability to leave high school with a certificate in a skilled trade allows them to be career ready, and/or test ready for a higher CTE field, and can eliminate some of the financial burden associated with attending colleges.

The program’s creation is also being supported at the state-level where ICTE administrator Clay Long is very pleased to see the Silver Valley communities working together toward the benefit of their students.

“The Idaho Division of Career & Technical Education is excited to support the efforts of Kellogg and Wallace school districts as they move forward to create a Career Technical School,” Long said. “The commitment from multiple districts to leverage resources and increase opportunities for students is something the division supports and encourages. We commend these communities for their patience, persistence and hard work in helping expand Career & Technical Education offerings throughout the Silver Valley, not only to offer more opportunities to more students, but to strengthen the valley’s talent pipeline.”

The Shoshone News-Press will continue to follow this story as it develops and will attempt to update the community as various milestones are hit.