Long-term residents of Patagonia probably will remember Jac Heiss, who began teaching fifth grade here in 1974. In 1982 he became principal, a post he held until 1995, making his total commitment to education in Patagonia just over 20 years. He then spent two years as a middle school administrator in Nogales, before leaving Santa Cruz County in 1998 to become superintendent of schools in Williams, Arizona. Heiss, who built and still owns a lovely adobe house in Patagonia, says his family moved north for the snow.
Underlying Heiss’s years of teaching and administrative work is a profound interest in and curiosity about education. This has led him to his current position as superintendent of the Joint Technical Education District (JTED) in Coconino County.
JTEDs
JTEDs are based on a concept that is at the forefront of American education. Heiss’s program takes students from Flagstaff, Fredonia, Grand Canyon, Page, and Williams. It is one of 13 voter-approved JTEDs in the state. These schools have physical plants but aren’t housed in just one place. They are achieving what the old-fashioned technical high schools once attempted: turning out skilled, motivated workers whose basic understanding of math, language arts, and science seem to be naturally enhanced by learning something that interests them.
Students can take a one-hour technical course or more in a day. Some courses are on site, some are online, and others offer on-the-job training. Many are linked to Coconino Community College in Flagstaff. The course offerings are enticing. Among them are Alternative Energy Technology; Business; Computer Software Technology; Cosmetology; Early Childhood Education; Hospitality Management; Industrial Maintenance; Firefighter, Police, and EMT programs; Massage Therapy; Nursing Assistant; Robotics; Heavy Equipment Operation; and Graphic Design. In addition to hands-on training, adolescents are taught interview skills. They shake hands, look you in the eye, speak clearly. A student with enough credits can get an industry certification. There are examples, Heiss says, of certified mechanics from his district stepping right into jobs that pay top wages.
Heiss points out that these courses are not an alternative for unmotivated students. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors take JTED courses and attend regular high school classes. There is no stigma attached to JTED. Many college-bound students are part of the program, learning skills that mesh with their planned college majors or that will help them get a part-time job while they attend college.
Success Figures
The success figures for JTEDs are impressive. Drop-out rates have gone way down in the 13 districts where they are being implemented. This has positive repercussions throughout Arizona’s economy, including a skilled work force, fewer incarcerations, and stronger families. What’s most impressive is that Arizona is leading the country in developing this educational model.
A Time magazine article from May 2012 tells the story of John Huppenthal, Arizona’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, who came to office believing in vocational education, a path he had followed in high school. He is quoted as saying, “Most students respond better to a three-dimensional learning process. It’s easier to learn engineering by actually building a house—which my family did when I was a kid, by the way—than by sitting in a classroom figuring out the process in the abstract. Some students can respond to two-dimensional learning, but most respond better when it’s hands on. Every surgeon needs to know how to sew, saw and drill.”
Following up on this philosophy, Huppenthal has challenged Arizona’s legislators to develop and pay for the current system of JTEDs. It costs a lot more to teach a student robotics than it does calculus, but the idea of this kind of career and technical education has developed to the point where the success is easily measured.
Help From Private Businesses
As superintendent of Coconino County’s JTED program, Heiss has worked with teachers, administrators, and industry to create learning experiences for students of all skill levels and backgrounds. His budget is tight, but he has found ways to get private businesses to pick up some of the financial slack because they benefit from the work force being produced.
Back in the 1970s, before Heiss began teaching, he spent time traveling, seeking out places in the world that were doing unusual and successful things. One model that stood out for him was work situations that provided daycare. He thought this was such an obvious bonus to everyone involved that he came back to the United States and tried to implement the concept in several settings, but he had no success. Change, especially institutional change, isn’t easy, but Arizona’s educational system is evolving and succeeding in unexpected and positive ways. How gratifying to know that there still are visionaries among us.
Heiss plans to retire at the end of this year. His wife, Denise, a high school counselor in Williams, isn’t sure if she is ready to end her career, but, according to Jac, she is tired of cold weather and snow, so there’s a chance they will both return to Patagonia. In any case, he plans to be here a lot and hopes to grow something profitable and tasty in the greenhouse he’s put up on his property—an appropriate hands-on effort for a well-earned retirement.
JTED in Santa Cruz County?
In 2009, Rio Rico voters approved a tax levy for a Joint Technical Education District (JTED). This allowed them to expand their career and technical education classes, which are offered through Pima County’s JTED program. According to the county superintendent’s office, the city of Nogales will have an initiative on the ballot in November asking for a small tax increase to pay for setting up a JTED. If the city raises $60,000, the state will put in $300,000. If this passes, Nogales will follow the lead of Rio Rico and piggyback with Pima County, and students from Patagonia will be eligible to take JTED courses in Nogales. Rio Rico’s program currently offers classes in Culinary Arts, Business, Agriculture, Nursing, Sports Medicine, Junior Reserve (Army) Officer Training Corps, and Law Enforcement.