Hearing on SB 1 — Proponent Testimony of Kevin Kratzer, Superintendent (March 28, 2023)

Summary

Proponent testimony on SB 1 (Department of Education and Workforce) dated March 28, 2023, from Kevin Kratzer, Superintendent of Southern Hills Career and Technical Center, to the House Economic and Workforce Development Committee. The testimony says Kratzer is in the 28th year working in education and the 12th year as Superintendent. It supports the component of SB 1 that would add a Deputy Director for an independent Division of Career and Technical Education within the Ohio Department of Education. It states that Southern Hills CTC now serves nearly 50% of the students in its Career Technical Planning District, up from approximately one-fourth twelve years ago.

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                       House Economic and Workforce Development Committee
                       Hearing on SB 1 (Department of Education and Workforce)
                        Proponent Testimony of Kevin Kratzer, Superintendent
                              Southern Hills Career & Technology Center
                                           March 28, 2023

Good afternoon Chairman Swearingen, Vice Chair Santucci, Ranking Member Uppchurch, and members
of the House Economic and Workforce Development Committee. My name is Kevin Kratzer and I am the
Superintendent of Southern Hills Career and Technical Center and I would like to thank you for the
opportunity to share my thoughts today regarding Senate Bill 1. Southern Hills CTC serves the five
school districts in Brown County as well as Bright Local Schools, located in southern Highland County. I
am currently in my 28th year working in the field of education, and my 12th year as Superintendent of
Southern Hills CTC.

Career and Technical Education has long been the ‘best kept secret in education’, but thankfully that is
no longer the case. At Southern Hills CTC and across Ohio we are seeing a dramatic increase in student
enrollment as students and families alike have come to realize that one does not have to attend a four-
year university to be successful in life. As this mind-set has evolved, it seems quite appropriate that our
state structure of Ohio’s education system evolve as well. For this reason, it is my opinion that the
component of SB 1 that proposes an adjustment to the structure of the Ohio Department of Education
to include a Deputy Director for an independent Division of Career and Technical Education is a positive
move that will help to elevate our sector as the worthy pathway into the world of work that it has
always been.

Twelve years ago, when I began my tenure at Southern Hills CTC we were serving approximately one-
fourth of the students in our Career Technical Planning District (CTPD). Today we serve nearly 50% of
the students and hundreds more through our satellite offerings held at the associate district’s campuses.
This shift, while significant, has not been matched with anything near the same level of importance from
the Ohio Department of Education. The rapidly growing world of Career Tech has often been an
afterthought of the Ohio Department of Education and the real losers from this mindset have been the
students, families and business partners that we in the field work to assist every day. Through this
proposed restructuring, Career Technical Education will have a true seat at the table.

Career and Technical Education has many stakeholders: the students we serve, their families, the
business partners we work with on a daily basis, and our community at large. At Southern Hills CTC we
see it as our mission to ensure we meet two key responsibilities for every student that chooses our
school – to do what is necessary to help them graduate from high school, and to ensure they are
workforce ready when they cross that stage. Workforce development is the key reason Career Technical
Education exists, and in a time where “Help Wanted” signs hang in every business window you pass, it
seems absolutely critical that CTE be positioned within Ohio’s educational system as an equal and
appropriate educational pathway for the students in our great state.
Students that choose to attend Southern Hills CTC, or any other CTE option across Ohio, are getting the
opportunity to learn real-life job skills, working in real-world job settings, using the tools and technology
that are necessary to be successful in the twenty-first century. I am fortunate to have a fantastic group
of local business owners and elected leaders that understand the importance of what CTE brings to the
community and the local economy, and it is from them that I get almost daily reminders about how
much we need more of what Southern Hills provides – young people that leave high school with a skill
and a true understanding of what it takes to be successful in the world of work. Through Senate Bill 1
we have an opportunity to create a division of leadership that can focus on CTE and all of the nuances
that surround it and make it different from traditional K-12 education. The most glaring of these
differences being the connection that we have with the business community, and within that, the critical
need to be flexible and responsive to the ever-changing workforce and economic environment. ODE, in
its current capacity, is a large bureaucracy that moves at a glacial pace as compared to the workforce
needs our business partners contend with each and every day. As a Career and Technical Education
provider, we must be able to meet those needs in a timely fashion, and we all too often find ourselves
hamstrung by the current system.

As a life-long resident of Ohio and a career educator, I could not be more optimistic about our future.
We serve great kids who are not afraid to get their hands dirty, are tech savvy beyond most of our
wildest dreams, and welcome the challenges the future holds. In closing, and in the words of Mike
Rowe of Dirty Jobs fame, “as long as Americans remain addicted to affordable electricity, smooth roads,
indoor plumbing and climate control, the opportunities in the skilled trades will never go away”. For
that reason, and many more, Ohio should move forward with SB 1 and any other appropriate initiative
that helps Career and Technical Education continue to grow and prosper.


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