Apr 27, 2011 By Carla Destefano 4 min read

?GEORGES TWP. — A decision made last month by the joint operating committee of the Fayette County Area Vocational-Technical School to scale back one of the programs to a half-day only session was questioned by staff, students and residents.

In March, the committee approved the establishment of the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning program as only an afternoon session, eliminating the morning session.

Andrew Shoemaker, a sophomore at the vo-tech, addressed the board Tuesday regarding the vote, offering a petition of names from those who are worried the program is on it’s way out.

“I have plans to make it in the HVAC industry,” he said.

Committee president Jim Tobal told those in support of the program that the class is not being closed and students currently participating will receive the same amount of instruction with the half-day class. Committee members cited poor enrollment as the reason for the change.

“This board feels very strongly about that program, and we are disappointed that not a lot of kids signed up for it,” Tobal said.

Dr. Edward Jeffreys, FCAVTS executive director, said a recruiter for the program has been visiting every school district to try to spark interest in the program.

“The industry is crying for HVAC, but it seems the public isn’t aware that these skills are required to make it in that industry,” he said. “We need the students here that want to learn them.”

The committee voted last month to only maintain the program if enrollment is 10 or more by June 1.

Parents also questioned the move last month from the committee to combine the auto body and auto mechanics program into one position and one program for the 2011-12 school year. Tobal said the board is watching the numbers closely and “strongly reconsidering” the move.

In other matters, the board approved the administration’s request to advertise for requests for proposals by contractors for a PA Act 39 Project, Guaranteed Energy Savings Agreement. Before the meeting, representatives from Linc Facility Services of Canonsburg addressed the committee regarding the school’s repair needs, which include a new roof and replacements of the HVAC and electrical systems.

According to Richard Phelps of Linc, PA Act 39 operates similar to the state’s Act 77, a funding mechanism to help school districts generate capital from their existing operating budgets. Phelps said through the Act 39 process, the vo-tech could use the operating utility savings the building would incur after renovations and updates were complete to pay for the cost of the project over a 20-year span, as opposed to Act 77’s 15-year’s plan.

Dan Dowell, also with Linc, projected the vo-tech’s savings as $40,000 in energy savings and $81,000 in operational savings leaving a remaining balance of $105,000 from the estimated cost of $226,000 a year to make the repairs to the lighting, heating plant and roof. Jeffreys predicts the project will cost around $3 million.

The data prepared by Linc did not factor in the cost of replacing the electrical system, but Dowell and Phelps said the work could be added to the plan.

The approval to advertise for RFPs does not lock the board into any decision and will not cost the committee at this time, Phelps said.

Also at the meeting, the committee approved the advertising for a full-time adult education manager who will be responsible for coordinating adult classes in the evening and on Saturdays. Vo-tech administration plans to expand adult programming to help boost revenue for the school.

Jeffreys, who feels the new programming could generate anywhere from $1 million to $2 million dollars within a few years, said more revenue coming in from the program would mean the cost per student would go down for school districts.

The committee also:

n Approved the BattleBots Team, including 12 students and 2 advisors, to attend the National Robotics Competition in Indiana in May. The team placed first in a competition at Westmoreland County Community College this month, advancing them to the finals. The committee agreed to provide the cost of $7,714.16 to cover transportation and lodging, but Jeffreys said some business donations have been made and the team is currently seeking additional funds, which will be subtracted from the cost of the trip.

n Added Ronnie Sutton, Kevin Feather and J. Rod Douthitt to the custodial/maintenance substitute list for the 2010-11 school year.