Journalism educators lauded a recent decision from the Kansas State Department of Education to allow high school journalism classes to continue to receive state funding.

The state is undergoing a shift in how it allocates its funding, said Kathy Toelkes, a spokeswoman for KSDE.

As part of a national shift in how federal funds are allocated for vocational and technical education, Kansas — along with other states — is placing courses into a new system of career clusters and pathways.

A state advisory committee recently approved three journalism courses as part of the new career clusters, making them eligible to receive state funding.

“Journalism is still a relevant field,” said Ann Brill, dean of Kansas University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications. “There are still jobs.”

Brill and other journalism stakeholders throughout the state had been talking to state leaders for months, after it initially seemed that journalism courses may not receive funded in the new model.

The state and educators eventually agreed — it’s the skills taught that matter, and how those apply to 21st-century careers.

“This is all really good news,” said Brill, who said that journalism is moving beyond just putting out a printed product, and into new technologies.

Laurie Folsom, a high school journalism teacher at Free State High School, also met with state leaders. She highlighted how students in journalism courses learn critical thinking, writing and communications skills, and how to work with technology.

In her school, students, in addition to putting out a newspaper, also update the newspaper’s website, learn audio and video skills and explore how to use social media.

A Free State High School newspaper student was assigned to use Twitter to provide timely updates from the school board meeting on Monday night, Folsom said.

“I’m very happy,” Folsom said, especially considering a few months ago she was unsure if journalism courses would continue to be funded.

To have the three courses included in a career pathway shows “the power of people speaking up,” she said.