Eudora ? Two years ago, Richard Beyer, Kansas’ secretary of human resources, suggested pumping more funding into vocational-technical schools so more people could gain the skills necessary to fill jobs, improving the state’s sagging economy and correcting labor shortages.

Last fall, the Eudora school district did something about it.

In an effort to improve the number and quality of blue-collar workers in Douglas County, it opened a vocational-technical school at the Eudora Community Learning Center in the former Eudora Middle School building, 10th and Main streets. It is the only traditional vo-tech school in the county. Mark Poltera is coordinator of the learning center.

“It’s been very positive so far,” said Marty Kobza, superintendent of the Eudora school district, about the response to the program. “We’re very excited about it. The programs have taken off, and there seems to be a lot of interest from the students.”

About 70 students from four districts are enrolled in vo-tech programs, and Kobza said he expected to see that number increase in the coming years as the program continues to grow. All students are high school age, although Kobza said future plans may include additional night courses for the adult workforce.

High school students can participate in the program during their junior and senior years and replace elective courses with the vo-tech courses. Classes take place daily during a three-hour block.

“It’s a two-year program,” Kobza said, “and the students can earn certifications in each of our programs. They’ll be trained to do anything from working within the restaurant and hotel industry, to running your own business by the time you graduate.”

The program does not pigeonhole students into one line of work, however.

“They could go full-scale into the workforce,” Kobza said, “or we’ve articulated agreements with Johnson County Community College, Pittsburg State, and other programs in the area so they can continue on for a higher degree if they wish. The choice is up to them.

“This just provides opportunities for students to decide if this is for them. It may turn out that after taking a few classes they decide this isn’t what they want to do. We are very careful to make sure other options are left open.”

The program will be self-sustained next year. Eight people staff the program, including five teachers, one half-time administrator and a few aides.

Some of the vo-tech programs are run from the Eudora-De Soto Technical Education Program, which will be completely run by the Eudora school district next year.

Eudora’s vo-tech site has culinary arts, health careers and auto collision courses. The De Soto site offers the nursery/ag program and printing programs.

Mark Poltera is coordinator of the Eudora Community Learning Center, which is in the former Eudora Middle School building. The Eudora school district has opened a vocational-technical school in the learning center.

Kobza said the school’s effect on the community would be two-fold. First, he said, it would help keep close-knit families together by training young people to handle jobs in the community.

Second, he said, it would have a strong economic effect.

“Economically, this is very positive,” he said. “Any time you can keep young people home, so to speak, or in the area where they grew up, they are more likely to have a more positive economic impact than a transient population. To me, that’s as great of an impact as anything.

“Plus, you encourage those people when they have that kind of security, to become entrepreneurs that will grow some businesses in the area.”