The Red Brick Times

We heard a speaker from the Lorain County Joint Vocational School (JVS) yesterday evening. Jill Pettiti has been there for 20 years, and is head of the Special Needs team at the JVS. The school currently serves 1700 students, 1100 of them under the 10-acre roof of the facility at Routes 20 and 58 South of Oberlin. The remaining 600 are taught at their "home schools" (in their home districts, like Amherst, Lorain, Elyria) by teachers from the JVS. In addition to the traditional "hands on" trades, they have programs in IT, Electronics, Business, and Culinary education. Their culinary program is nationally known. One of their graduates recently became the head Chef for all of the top-echelon brass at the Pentagon. They have achieved a placement rate of 94% percent within seven months of graduation. They have a student-staffed venue, The Buckeye Room Restaurant that serves lunch Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Reservations are not just suggested, they are required if you hope to get a seat.

The JVS has a renewal levy on the upcoming ballot. Now the astounding thing about this levy is that, since the school was first built in 1970, they have been able to operate on exactly the same levy amount that was originally passed thirty-seven years ago! The JVS has been existing, and thriving, on the same 3/4 of one mil ($1.89 per month for a $100K home) for thirty seven years!

With my recent experience touring the Elyria High School structures, I asked Jill about building condtion and maintenance of the JVS over 35 years. I was amazed to learn that they practice what they teach. Preventative maintenance (PM is the industry buzz-phrase) is a way of life. They replace carpeting before it becomes a ragged safety and trip hazard by scheduling a section each year, in order of oldest first. Likewise with the 10-acres of roof - a section to resurface at a time on a rotating basis. Likewise the parking lot - Jill said they paved the back lot area over last summer when fewer cars were around. Same for painting, electrical, computer upgrades, HVAC (they did rooftop units last year) and industrial equipment.

All in all, this is the secret to how they have been able to maintain currency and good repair on an unchanging 3/4 of one mil levy over the past 35 years. That plus the increase in residences built over that time (as Cuyahoga County residents "discover" Lorain County) have kept the JVS afloat, solvent and in good repair.

How can one argue with success? I feel that they have been good stewards of their resources, and have followed their own teachings about the best ways to run a business. Good work, and rare to find.
Posted 2:36 PM by Andy (2) comments

       Comments:

This would make a great "letter to the editor", especially timely considering the Elyria School Board's incredible fiscal malfeasance over the years and their new demands for yet more money.

You should send it to the CT!

# posted by  whatley : March 17, 2007 6:30 AM
 
Good idea. I think I will.

# posted by  Andy : March 17, 2007 7:06 AM
 
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