SE Board gets

info on proposed

vocational courses

Program could start next fall

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

SLEEPY EYE -- The District 84 Board learned about vocational courses planned for the 2001-2002 school year at a budget work session Thursday.

High School Principal Elia Bruggeman handed out eight pages of information on courses dealing with medical careers, graphic design, construction trades and industrial arts, cosmetology, agriculture technology and auto mechanics.

The move to offer vocational courses locally follows District 84's decision to drop out of the Cottonwood River Technical Center. That decision saved approximately $140,000.

The cost of the proposed courses totalled $84,750 -- $32,450 for graphic design, $22,340 for construction trades and industrial arts including $10,000 in donations, $16,725 for cosmetology, and $13,200 for medical careers.

The vocational courses would require $45,535 in additional general fund expenses. Expenses for textbooks and supplies were estimated at $12,628. Facility and equipment expenses were estimated at $26,600. Preliminary lans calls for donated items from Sleepy Eye businesses, industries and area educational institutions.

A definitive decision on adding the vocational courses to Sleepy Eye High School curriculum has not been determined, but will come before the close of the current school year.

Plans calls for donated items from Sleepy Eye businesses, industries and area educational institutions.

The school would pay for $80 per credit to Minnesota West, a community and technical college with several campuses in southern Minnesota, for tuition cost for 18 students.

Another option would be tuition-free articulation agreements through the School To Work program with Ridgewater College in Willmar and South Central Technical College in Mankato.

A single-semester medical course would include broad-based skills for students to attain an Emergency Medical Technician certificate, First Responder skills, First Aid awareness, CPR training, exposure to other medical careers, high school and optional college credits from Minnesota West.

Program partners are Minnesota West, Sleepy Eye Community Hospital, Sleepy Eye Ambulance Service, and Brown County Public Health Services.

Classes would include hands-on skills, guest speakers and job shadowing.

Steering committee members include representatives from Minnesota West, Bruggeman, Sleepy Eye Hospital Administrator David Hartberg, Judy Mathiowetz and Anita Hoffmann of Brown County Public Health, Sleepy Eye Ambulance Coordinator Shari Hittesdorf and physical education teacher Cory Haala.

A year-long graphic design course would include studying graphics, media, and offset printing with collaboration with Norwood Promotional Products (formerly AUI) of Sleepy Eye.

Students would be introduced to the seven elements of art and QuarkXpress publishing software.

Multimedia and digital imaging would also be introduced through lectures, hands-on training, job shadowing and computer software.

Norwood Products would provide some training materials and 12 computers. The district has Adobe Illustrator, Photo Shop, and Publisher software that is currently not being used.

Steering committee members are Minnesota West, Tim Milliard, Alan Lang and Jerry Forster of Norwood Products, high school teacher Kersten Petersen and Bruggeman.

A year-long construction trades and industrial arts course with Minnesota West would build a house over two school years.

Steering committee members are Minnesota West, Bernard Wenner of CRTC and Bruggeman.

Agreements will be sought with local banks to sponsor construction of homes or to offer low financing rates on construction materials.

A semester-long cosmetology course would center on hair, skin, nail care, hygiene, grooming, sanitation and sterilization techniques for high school and college credit.

The program would include lectures, job shadowing, textbooks, work sheets and practical clinical experience.

Sleepy Eye and New Ulm beauty firms are being contacted as potential job shadowing sites.

Steering committee members include Minnesota West, Sleepy Eye beautician Deb Braulick, and Bruggeman.

Bruggeman said that other high schools with cosmetology programs include Chaska and Edison and Roosevelt in Minneapolis.

A year-long agriculture technology and auto mechanics course would use equipment owned by Minnesota West.

Business partners include the Bruggeman Co. Inc. and other Sleepy Eye firms.

Steering committee members include Minnesota West, Sleepy Eye FFA Advisor Larry Baumgardt and Bruggeman.

The cost of this program has not been determined yet.

"This is real and can be done," Superintendent Jay Haugen said. "I don't know of any other schools our size that could do this."

The board also:

* Learned of additional reduction possibilities including one semester of high school art and one block of business and elementary physical education.

* Learned that the current revenue budget assumes a shared-time revenue amount of $25,000, based on 18 students. This would be eliminated if St. Mary's School does not participate.

Last week, the board presented plans for $350,000 in budget cuts including dropping out of CRTC. The need to cut is based on Gov. Jesse Ventura's education budget recommendation and declining enrollment.