Local school board members act as innocent bystanders while Utah faces a crisis in delivering an educated work force needed for today's economy.
Just last week, Richard Nelson, a member of the Governor's Office of Economic Development Board and president and chief executive of the Utah Technology Council, noted that "in order to meet market demand, more high school graduates need to be better prepared to pursue areas of study in engineering and the sciences that will qualify them for high-paying jobs" (Deseret Morning News, July 25). In doing so, GOED passed a resolution to be sent to the Utah State Board of Education recommending higher graduation requirements to better prepare students for the new job market.
With the exodus of retiring teachers and the "so-called" teacher shortage, local school boards have an opportunity to restructure so they can meet the needs of Utah's new economy. Rather than trying to simply fill the gaps by recycling retired teachers, they ought to take the opportunity to hire teachers who have an understanding of the skills needed in today's workplace and can challenge students to learn them. It's an opportunity to help parents prepare their children for the new high-paying jobs.
It will require board members to think outside the box and view themselves as part of, not apart from, Utah's economy — they are its foundation. For too long, school boards have been reading the old press clippings about the wonder of America's education system and listening to administrators lamenting the lack of resources as the problem. In the meantime the world has changed, but schools still keep doing the same.
School board members seem unaware of the crisis and what others are saying and doing. Higher education is simply spending money on public relations trying to recruit students due to declining enrollment. And board members ignore employers' pleas calling for schools to prepare students for today's good-paying jobs that go wanting. Though local school boards have the power to make decisions, they appear content to place the blame on all the higher-ups along the food chain.
The landscape is full of studies, legislation and resolutions aimed at redesigning public education, but no one is willing to expend the political capital to do so. Employers keep complaining but fail to get on their cell phones to tell their lobbyists to change education; school boards think they are in the business of running schools rather than educating students; and legislators keep burdening the education system with more laws and no coherent plan.
Local school boards, instead of simply rehiring teachers, might consider requiring aspiring applicants to upgrade their knowledge of the new skills required for today's workplace by spending six months in it. School boards could provide stipends upon completion of the placement for those qualified for the new positions. Many good teachers who love teaching have never been in the new workplace — they have always been in the classroom. A "sabbatical" that would allow current teachers to have a similar experience in the new workplace would let them teach students the skills needed to succeed in the workplace. Many students already surpass adults' ability to use technology now commonplace in the workplace.
Employers need to do more than pass resolutions, conduct studies or be overwhelmed by education bureaucrats; rather, they must use the problem-solving know-how that has made them successful. Ask tough questions and use the same political clout to bring about change as they do in advocating for their causes.
The most obvious problem is that no one seems to be talking to each other. And when they do, it's more about getting along, partnerships, coordination, rather than a candid dialogue of how they can begin retrofitting public education so it can educate students for today's knowledge revolution. That will require that all segments pool their talents and efforts to work for the common good.
Utah native John Florez has founded several Hispanic civil rights organizations, served on the staff of Sen. Orrin Hatch and on more than 45 state, local and volunteer boards. He also has been deputy assistant secretary of labor. E-mail: jdflorez@comcast.net