CV-TEC's Plattsburgh Aeronautical Institute (PAI)
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CV-TEC’s Plattsburgh Aeronautical Institute (PAI) Plattsburgh, New York by James R. McCartney III, Principal Executive Summary In 1948, the New York State Legislature created Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) as part of a broader effort by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) to enable small, rural school districts to combine their resources and to provide services that otherwise would have been uneconomical, inefficient, or unavailable. BOCES grew rapidly during the mid 50’s as they reduced costs, improved educational quality and equity, and enabled more effective central control of the state's varied school districts. All BOCES receive their instructional mandate from the NYSED, and are administered by a district superintendent and a board of education comprised of school board members from each of their component school districts. There are currently 37 BOCES incorporating all but nine of the 721 school districts in New York. Champlain Valley TEC (CV-TEC), the Career and Technical Education (CTE) division of the Clinton/Essex/Warren/Washington BOCES, provides technical education services to over 650 high school juniors and seniors from 17 public school districts in four northern New York counties, and to over 200 adults seeking to further their technical education. Currently CV-TEC offers 24 daytime CTE programs from which secondary education and adult students can choose. CV-TEC also offers an online high school featuring a wide range of Regents, elective, and AP courses; an award-winning regional GED program serving over 650 adult students; and dozens of daytime and evening adult/continuing education courses open to all northern New York State residents. In keeping with its mission to serve its component school districts, CV-TEC endeavors to continually review and update its programs, keeping them in line with the technical training needs of prospective employees, area employers, and employment trends throughout the region. CV-TEC has a long tradition of excellence, featuring high graduation and employment rates; close collaborations with professional associations, trade unions, and colleges; and close association with business and industry partners. Recently, CV-TEC was evaluated by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). In SREB’s Tech Centers That Work (TCTW) external review, CV-TEC was cited as demonstrating a number of best practices, including strong support for school improvement from CV-TEC leadership, including administration and the board, strong support for technical reading and writing and other literacy strategies, and regular and effective collaboration with its component school districts. CT-TEC teachers work together to share resources by implementing common projects and assignments; CV-TEC strongly supports the continuous improvement of facilities and equipment through grants and donations, as well as other support, and through collaboration with business and industry, government agencies, individuals, and other entities. CV-TEC is currently seeking candidacy for national accreditation through the Council on Occupational Education. CV-TEC’s school culture is focused on safety, high technical standards, and the maintenance of a positive technical and academic learning environment for all students. CV-TEC’s faculty members have an average of over 23 years of technical experience. While this paper focuses on one specific aviation-related program, most of the strategies employed to implement the program generalize well to other CTE or non-CTE programs. © International Center for Leadership in Education 1 Antecedents to the Plattsburgh Aeronautical Institute In 1995, the Federal Base Realignment and Closure Commission announced that the Plattsburgh, New York, Air Force Base (PAFB) would be closed. The economic impact of this closure, combined with the subsequent relocation of other large employers overseas, created a dire economic picture for area residents. Before long, backed by public sentiment, Clinton County government officials began the process of privatizing the air force base and relocating the county airport there. By April 2004, under the leadership of CV-TEC’s division director, CV-TEC began to design a program that would promote the development of the new Plattsburgh International Airport (PIA), attract business and industry, promote economic development, provide high-quality professional development opportunities for employers, provide area high school students and adults with cutting edge technical training opportunities, and would promote youth retention. The resulting collaborative, unprecedented effort between CV-TEC and its partners in education, business and industry, the private sector, and various government agencies, would represent a bold training initiative for CV-TEC and would become known as the Plattsburgh Aeronautical Institute. Once developed, PAI would be one of only four FAA- certified Part 147 training institutions in the state. Graduates of the PAI program would qualify to become nationally certified as airframe and powerplant technicians. Phases of Program Development Phase I: PAI Feasibility Study and Marshalling Support In a prospectus written for congressional leaders, CV-TEC cited various sources, demonstrating that efforts to implement the PAI were well-founded and well-timed. • Nationally: the authors of the Final Report of the Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry, 2002 wrote: Vocational aerospace programs have had declining enrollments over the past 10 years, even though 50 percent of the current aerospace workforce is made up of workers in installation, maintenance, repair and production. Most of these workers have completed stand-alone apprenticeship programs, or intensive training programs that combine on- the-job training with classroom instruction leading to an Associates degree from a community college. While some of the major aerospace companies have apprenticeship programs to train production and technical personnel, few currently have apprentices in their programs due to the downturn in the economy. The need to replace retiring workers over the next 10 years, however, demonstrates the crucial need to start refilling the “pipeline” of qualified workers now. Analysis of the economic benefits of apprenticeship programs shows an impressive $50 return for every dollar of federal investment. As stated in Interim Report #3, the Commission believes that the nation should make investments in vocational education to develop workforce skills needed by the industry, promote registered apprenticeship programs for technical and skilled occupations, and target tax credits for employers who invest in needed skills. • Nationally: Recent Associated Press articles have cited FAA projections that “more than 1 billion people a year will be boarding planes in the United States within a decade, nearly half again as many as those now using an aviation system showing signs of being overburdened…” • New York State: In 2004 only three Part 147 airframe and powerplant schools existed in New York State. All of these schools are located in the metropolitan New York City area; none were known to lead to licensure or postsecondary degree options. © International Center for Leadership in Education 2 • Northern New York State: As northern New York State continues to upgrade the facilities of the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base, there is a need to provide an infrastructure that will attract business, spur economic development, educate and retain local workers, utilize existing resources and facilities, support existing business and industry, and develop cutting-edge technology programs for the local workforce. • Northern New York State: Of 3,000 respondents completing the 2005 Annual North Country Chamber of Commerce Issue Survey, 98% indicated that they supported the Plattsburgh International Airport as a regional, multi-purpose airport, along with progress toward expanded service and operations at Adirondack Regional Airport. The North Country Chamber of Commerce identified the implementation of the Plattsburgh Aeronautical Institute as its number one legislative priority for 2005. As collaborations grew between CV-TEC and a host of business, industry, and government leaders (North Country Chamber of Commerce, local and state government officials, Clinton Community College), CV-TEC began soliciting aviation-related equipment, curriculum, property/facilities, grants, donation of services, and the donation of aviation equipment. This began a regimen that would be essential to the development of the Part 147 program. Phase II: Marketing: Logo, Press Releases, Web Page, Development of Mission/Vision Statements In order to properly market and promote the CV-TEC aeronautical institute, a logo representing the school and its program was developed. Press releases were issued strategically through media representatives whose work was known to be well-informed, non-controversial, and optimistic. CV-TEC devised web pages to depict the progress made and to recognize benefactors as the project grew. The site was credited for at least one of PAI’s major donations. Vision and mission statements were created to reflect the goals, aspirations, dreams, and purpose of the Plattsburgh Aeronautical Institute. Phase IIIA: Curriculum Development- Educational Partnerships, Articulation Agreements, Federal Aviation Administration, and New York State Education Department As a result of federal and state grant funding, CV-TEC moved forward to hire