The New Hampshire Career Academy enrollment opened yesterday. So, what it is, and why do we care?
It’s a charter school embedded into NH’s Community College system that’s open to high school seniors. Career Academy is “built on a premise of win-win in which students gain exciting career pathway opportunities and employers and CCSNH are able to shape educational opportunities. It sees education as an expanding universe of opportunity that capitalizes on learning across the board.”[1]
High school seniors can enroll in the Academy and simultaneously earn their credits to graduate high school while also earning credits towards their associate’s degree. A “super-senior” year, you might say.
As far as funding – the state will kick in the cost of the Community College tuition up to $7,300. The average in-state tuition cost of a New Hampshire Community College is $6,952[2], approximately half of the average cost of a public school’s annual tuition ($13,721 [3].) . Why a community COLLEGE can educate a student for half what a high school can is beyond me (but certainly seems worth looking at!)
Now, as Ian has pointed out repeatedly – this won’t actually save the taxpayer’s money (in the short term, at least.) Schools will still run the same budget, same staff, same administration. They may have fewer students in 12th grade, but they won’t reduce costs at all, so the taxpayers will get hit again.
In the long run, maybe this will save money. But that’s not the important part, even if the Democrats (like Kommissar Volinsky) pretend it is, however briefly. It’s a program that’s better for some students. Yes, some.
Not every program needs to be good for everyone. If it benefits even one student isn’t it worth it?
Commissioner Edelblut has been working on ideas like these since he was confirmed as our State’s Head of Education with Governor Sununu’s support. Learn Everywhere, Charter Schools, and now the Career Academy — outside of the box ideas that will move education forward – giving it more than the illusion of change.