Butler County school considers big change to four-day class schedule: Social media reacts

Butler Tech this week may become the first career school system in Ohio to allow high school students to spend one day a week outside the classroom learning job skills at local businesses. The Bioscience School in West Chester Township is one of Butler Tech’s newest and most popular programs for area teens looking for careers.(Photo by Michael D. Clark/Journal-News)

Butler Tech this week may become the first career school system in Ohio to allow high school students to spend one day a week outside the classroom learning job skills at local businesses. The Bioscience School in West Chester Township is one of Butler Tech’s newest and most popular programs for area teens looking for careers.(Photo by Michael D. Clark/Journal-News)

The social media buzz is still humming around Butler Tech’s recent unveiling of its plan to allow high school students to spend one day a week out of the classroom, working in local companies.

The new idea, which will be voted on by Butler Tech’s governing board tonight, is the latest and most radical idea to come out of the career school system, which is one of the largest in Ohio.

And if approved by the board, the career education district would be the first in the state to offer such a program.

And plenty of people are talking about since the Journal-News was the first last week to report on the plan, which Butler Tech officials dubbed “The 5th Day Experience” because it would allow more than 1,000 teens to spend some Fridays next school year working.

Among those commenting, almost all endorsed the idea, which if approved by the board would begin in February 2020.

“I think this is a fantastic idea!” wrote Ginny Watt Wagner under the story’s posting on the Journal-News Facebook page.

Stacey Strasser wrote: “Best idea ever! We have to change the education system to align with and to prepare kids for jobs!”

And Marianne Calabria Halcomb commented, saying “spot on! Kids need to experience real life situations.”

Starting in August Hamilton High School students in that district’s own career education program will merge into Butler Tech’s system.

At that point Butler Tech will be the career education provider for every school system in Butler County and Northwest Schools in northern Hamilton County.

Hamilton High School graduate Aaron Ball was able to learn in a similar program and highly recommends the new Butler Tech approach.

“I took Auto Mechanics my Jr year at Hamilton High. My senior year I would go to class and then at lunch go to my job building cars for the rest of the day, M-F. I really liked it because I was able to get hands on experience and help with the bills at home,” Ball wrote on Facebook.

Stay with the Journal-News for continuing coverage of Butler Tech’s proposal and the governing board’s vote on the plan Tuesday evening.

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