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Committee backs bill to expand high-school access to vocational and technical courses
Summary
Senators adopted amendments and reported Senate Bill 207 favorably after backers said the bill would ensure public high school students have opportunities to enroll in available vocational and technical education, and opponents requested clarifying language for mission-driven charter schools and fiscal protections for districts.
Senate Bill 207, a bill to require that public high school students have access to vocational and technical education, was amended and reported favorably by the Senate Education Committee after lawmakers and industry groups described the bill's intent and limitations.
Senator Carter, the bill sponsor, said the measure is designed to connect high-school students to occupational opportunities in the region and to the pipeline of employers bringing new work to Louisiana. "This legislation requires ... that all public high school students shall have the opportunity to enroll in the vocational and technical educational courses across the state of Louisiana," Carter said during the presentation. The amendment package adopted in committee clarifies that students must have access to "available" vocational and technical courses and allows schools that do not offer a program to partner with other public schools, the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS), two-year institutions (for example, SOWELA), industry groups and approved nonprofit partners.
Representatives of industry and workforce groups spoke in support, and Caroline Romer of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools said charter operators and the authorizers are working with the sponsor to add protections for mission-specific charter schools that rely on special curricular models. Representative Carter and committee members acknowledged concerns about the bill's fiscal note: the amendments use the word "may" to permit partnerships rather than requiring each school to hire staff, which would trigger additional costs. Senator Mizell and other senators said they would continue working on language to ensure that the change does not impose unintended district costs and to clarify student cost protections for any courses that might otherwise carry fees.
The committee adopted amendment package 14-23 and reported SB 207 favorably as amended; senators indicated they will continue technical work with stakeholders as the bill moves forward.
