TO: Directors of Regional Career Technical Education Centers
CC: Headmasters of Private Schools Serving as Regional Career Technical Education Centers
FROM: Rebecca Holcombe, Ed.D., Secretary of Education
SUBJECT: Required Staffing and Licensure of Career Technical Educators
DATE: December 8, 2017
This memo is in response to a query from LI, but we are sharing with all of you as general guidance.
Career Technical Education (CTE) in Vermont is delivered by its public school system with one exception: the St. Johnsbury Service Region. As private independent high schools, both St. Johnsbury Academy (SJA) and Lyndon Institute (LI) have the distinction of serving all public school students in the St. Johnsbury Region by offering state approved CTE programs. St. Johnsbury Academy and Lyndon Institute have the added distinction of being the only private independent high schools in Vermont to receive state and federal financial assistance to administer those CTE programs.
The Vermont Legislature gives the authority to regulate career technical education to the State Board of Education (SBE) (16 V.S.A. §1532), and as such, the SBE, in rules 2379 (required staffing) and 2380(1) I (quality criteria) of its Manual of Rules and Practices, requires each school board (defined at SBE rules 2370 (7) and (10)) operating a career technical education center to employ:
a. A licensed full-time director that reports directly to the headmaster (2379(2)) (the required endorsement is called “Career Technical Center Directors” 5440-92)
b. A licensed technical education guidance coordinator (2379(3)) (the required endorsement is called “Career Technical Education School Counseling Coordinator” 5440-73)
c. A licensed adult services coordinator (2379(4)) (the required endorsement is called “Assistant Director for Adult Education” 5440-20)
d. A licensed co-operative education coordinator (2379(5)) (the required endorsement is called “Work Based Learning Coordinator” 5440-60)
e. At least one full-time licensed special populations teacher (2379(6)) (the required endorsement is called “Career Technical Education Special Needs Coordinator” 5440-87)
f. Program instructor(s) with the required licensure and competencies to instruct in the program’s core competencies (2380(1)I) (the required endorsements depend on the program area and are outlined at the end of this memo)
While private independent high schools are under no other obligation to employ licensed educators, the SBE rules specifically require that educators and administrators associated with the Career and Technical programs be licensed. Consequently, educators at the SJA and LI CTE programs must be licensed.
Read the full Required Staffing and Licensure of Career Technical Educators memo.