Introductory*
City of Baltimore
Council Bill ___
Introduced by: Councilmember Stokes
A Resolution Entitled
A Council Resolution concerning
title
Informational Hearing - Vocational Education in Baltimore City Public Schools
For the purpose of inviting the CEO of the Baltimore City Public School System, the Executive Director of College and Career Readiness, the Interim Director of Career Readiness, and the Chief Achievement and Accountability Officer to provide information about vocational education programs in City Schools and how these programs will be improved.
body
Recitals
The Baltimore City Public School System’s vocational programs, known as the Career and Technical Education programs, are supposed to help students specialize in skilled trades such as nursing, information technology, construction, and advanced manufacturing. Through some of the programs, students can receive industry-recognized certificates that they can use to begin careers once out of school, from which the former students can make a decent living. In 2014, 44% of City students were involved in a Career and Technical Education program. The programs are supposed to provide students with marketable skills that will help them begin careers that will provide them with adequate salaries to live and raise a family in Baltimore once they graduate. However, a recent audit of the Career and Technical Education programs found that the vocational programs are failing City students. The audit found that, six years after completing one of the programs, former students earned an annual median salary of only $13,000, which is less than half the salary a single adult likely needs to live in the City. The report also found that only 10% of students district-wide satisfy all the course requirements for these programs by the time they graduate. In addition to generally not providing students with the background necessary for careers with decent wages, the vocational programs have also been distributed unevenly among City schools. Students at the City’s top performing schools have had access to programs for sought-after tracks that employers are willing to pay a family-sustaining wage for, such as computer science and advanced manufacturing, but students at other City schools lacked access to programs that would prepare them for successful careers. The Baltimore City Council is interested in learning how vocational education in City schools can be improved to prepare all students interested in participating in these programs for well-paying careers.
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of Baltimore, That the Baltimore City Council invites the CEO of the Baltimore City Public School System, the Executive Director of College and Career Readiness, the Interim Director of Career Readiness, and the Chief Achievement and Accountability Officer to provide information about vocational education programs in City Schools and explain how these programs will be improved.
And be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the CEO of the Baltimore City Public School System, the Executive Director of College and Career Readiness, the Interim Director of Career Readiness, the Chief Achievement and Accountability Officer, the Mayor, and the Mayor’s Legislative Liaison to the City Council.