The Garden City Telegram

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Journalism state funding issue creates confusion for educators

Published 10/21/2010 in Local News

By JEROME P. CURRY

jcurry@gctelegram.com

Confusion twisted contradiction has left high school journalism and broadcast instructors across Kansas wondering if they are going to lose state education department-administered vocational education dollars on which many of their programs depend.

It was believed the loss of funding might happen in May of the 2012-13 school year, and that it would be the result of negative job growth projections for journalists. Many say they have been told state and federal dollars should be spent in disciplines economists and work force professionals believe are more viable. The new mantra is high skilled, high wage and high demand — editors, photographers, reporters and writers need not apply.

But journalism instructors need not worry, officials say, the dollars will be there.

That's the word from officials of Garden City USD 457 and the Kansas State Department of Education.

"No one ever said journalism was dead," said Kathy Toelkes, the communications and recognitions program director of the Kansas State Department of Education.

That wasn't what Monte Moser, a Garden City High School journalism instructor, heard at a meeting last spring with representatives of the state department of education.

"They told us then broadcast and journalism were dead," said Moser, faculty adviser for The Sugar Beet, the award-winning student newspaper at GCHS. "They told us we would have to reshape our classes to fit the new models. We could not have a print product."

The GCHS journalism teacher heard essentially the same message at a summer meeting in Topeka.

"Journalism funding from the state may have appeared to be in jeopardy, but it is not," said Darren Dennis, USD 457's director of learning services. "We do not anticipate any loss in funding for journalism."

Tuesday, a meeting was scheduled in Sublette for high school instructors in courses that receive the vocational and technical funding.

"Our guy didn't show up," said Moser of whoever it was who was supposed to focus on journalism at the Sublette conference. "Why? I don't know."

Other state technical and vocational representatives were there.

In the middle of the maelstrom of conflicting reports, state and USD 457 administrators say the funding issue for print and broadcast journalism will be and is being resolved.

The model by which the state department of education doles out funds is changing, Toelkes said.

"What's happening is a change in the way we're offering the dollars," Toelkes said. "We have moved to a career clusters model and pathways into that career cluster. Journalism has a pathway."

One new career cluster into which journalism fits is arts, A/V technology and communications, according to data on the state education department's website. Journalism and broadcasting are the pathway into the cluster, which is pending approval.

"There are a number of career clusters into which journalism competencies would fit. One is the Information Technology Career Cluster, which already has been approved," Toelkes said. "The other is the Arts, A/V Technology and Communications Career Cluster, which is pending approval this fall. In addition, journalism competencies are also found in the marketing communications pathway, which was approved last year, and the Government, Public Administration Career Cluster, which is pending approval this fall."

According to the state education department's own data, the demand for copy writers (publishers, editors, journalists, reporters in print and broadcast) is projected to increase by 4 percent in Kansas in the decade that spans 2004 to 2014; nationally, a 10 percent increase is predicted by 2016. The data is based on a Department of Labor wage survey, the Kansas Occupational Outlook Study and the National Employment Occupational Outlook Handbook. Part of the data also shows the demand for print-based reporters and correspondents alone will decrease by 2 percent by 2014 in Kansas; and will increase by 1 percent in the nation by 2016.

Journalism in the 21st Century has moved beyond print into many platforms — the Internet, websites, mobile phone applications, as well as the traditional broadcast and print, all of which demand technical skills and for which there is a high demand in an increasingly information driven world.

"There is a change in focus," USD 457's Dennis said. "The state would like a greater focus on technology as opposed to traditional journalism programs, and they want us to get in line with that. We will. We anticipate we will continue to receive funding commensurate with what we have received in the past."

Those career and technical education dollars are a combination of federal Carl Perkins Grants and some state money.

"I was able to get a total for state VocEd (vocational education) funding that went to Garden City Schools last year," Toelkes said. "That was $434,900."

Of that, according to USD 457 figures, $37,814 went for journalism technology; $5,000 for journalism staff development.

"The program will have to change in line with the new models," Dennis said. "A lot of it is how we put the paperwork together."

He acknowledged there were fears the change would eliminate federal and state vocational education funds for journalism "but it won't," Dennis emphasized.

"The model under which we receive the funds has changed," USD 457 Deputy Superintendent Steve Karlin said. "We will have to do additional paperwork, but we expect the journalism dollars to be there."

The Sugar Beet's Moser said he and his fellow instructors would do whatever it takes to qualify under the new model. He did have a suggestion for the Kansas State Department of Education though: "Put it in writing."

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