Career training programs at stake in lawsuit by 9 Valley school districts against EVIT

PHOENIX – With their career training programs at risk, nine Phoenix-area school districts filed a lawsuit against the East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT) on Monday.

EVIT is a public trade school district that has been partnering with 12 local districts so they can offer career and technical education (CTE) courses to high school students.

The current dispute is over the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between EVIT and the districts. Three districts signed EVIT’s new IGA after the last one expired over the summer, but nine decided to sue after prolonged negotiations failed to produce a deal they would accept.

EVIT wants to reduce the amount of funding it contributes to the partnerships, while the districts that filed the lawsuit are seeking more money from the trade school district. In addition, EVIT wants to see more students complete full programs rather than just take its courses here and there as electives.

The following districts are involved in the lawsuit:

• Apache Junction Unified School District
• Cave Creek Unified School District
• Chandler Unified School District
• Fountain Hills Unified School District
• Gilbert Unified School District
• Higley Unified School District
• J.O. Combs Unified School District
• Queen Creek Unified School District
• Tempe Union High School District

J.O. Combs official says an EVIT win would jeopardize CTE programs

John Scrogham, CTE director for J.O. Combs, said Thursday if EVIT wins the lawsuit, the nine districts may have to shut down their career training programs altogether.

“A win on our side is not going to impact EVIT negatively. It will affect us positively. If we lose the lawsuit, then we will be negatively impacted for sure,” he said.

Despite the IGA lapse, leftover funding is being used to keep the courses running this school year.

EVIT Superintendent Chad Wilson said the trade school wants to make certain changes in the CTE system to maintain the quality of the program.

“Should the lawsuit be in favor of EVIT, our goal is not to shut [down] programs,” Wilson said Thursday. “I’ve said it here and I’ve said it repeatedly: The success of CTE in the East Valley is dependent upon quality programming at the central campus and the satellite campuses.”

Districts say EVIT proposal would reduce students’ access to career training

The districts in the lawsuit issued statements alleging that EVIT’s proposed IGA would limit students’ access to the CTE courses and potentially strip them of academic credits.

EVIT said it is not limiting access, just trying to get more students to complete the program instead of using the courses as general electives.

“We never said that 100% of the students have to complete a program. What we have said is, as a baseline, we want at least 30% of the students at the satellite level completing a program,” Wilson explained.

Scrogham disputed the idea that students are using the classes as electives, saying they change their minds about the direction of their future careers.

“EVIT, their campuses, they’re hyperfocused on career and technical education. They don’t have to concern themselves with academic standards and those types of classes where a comprehensive high school does. We’re not going to force a student to do something they don’t want to do,” he said.

Scrogham stressed that the nine schools do not want to “take down” EVIT in any way. Wilson added EVIT is still hoping to come to an agreement with the districts to continue CTE programs.

Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.

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