ADAMS TWP — Mars Area School District is “abusing” children, according to district resident and businessman Virgil Knox during Tuesday night's board meeting.

Knox, who owns Hampton Concrete Products, said he read about the district's dropping vo-tech enrollment in the newspaper and wanted to discuss the source of the problem.

“I really think the school is abusing our kids,” Knox said. “And I think that's because we're not telling them the truth.”

Knox said he doesn't think the district does a good job of promoting the “kid in the middle.” He said not all children should be told to go to college.

Knox said the district should be working to give students the opportunity to attend Butler County Vocational-Technical School.

“I'm hiring from the vo-tech,” Knox said. “I make concrete. I make doors. I invented a door.”

Knox said when he was in high school, he didn't have good enough grades to get into vo-tech. He said after the meeting he would have enrolled in vo-tech, if he qualified.

“I'm a failure at public school,” Knox said. “I was a somewhere-below-average kid.”

Knox told the board he now uses his vocational skills to make a living.

Kurt Speicher, executive director of Butler vo-tech, was also present Tuesday night to share information about the 2020-21 vo-tech budget and district enrollment.

Mars Area's portion of next year's budget will be $243,854, about $16,700 less than this year. The decrease stems from a district drop in vo-tech enrollment.

“We're projecting (Mars) will finish the year with about 38 students,” Speicher said.

Mars had 56 vo-tech students in 2017-2018 and 44 in 2018-2019. Vo-tech enrollment isn't official until the end of the academic year because students can leave or join during the year.

Board member Megan Lenz asked Speicher to describe the vo-tech's student introduction process.

Speicher said most districts in Butler County show students vo-tech opportunities by having them participate in a class field trip in the fall.

Speicher said Mars Area is the only school that lets students opt-in to that field trip, rather than opt-out. This might prevent students from enrolling, according to Speicher.

“I think it's hard to make a decision on something that you've never seen,” Speicher said.

The opt-in approach serves a second purpose, according to Speicher: It exposes all students to vo-tech opportunities, regardless of their educational track.

“The kids who aren't going to attend have a new respect for the kids who do,” Speicher said. “They really appreciate it.”

Board member Dayle Ferguson said the district received a letter after the newspaper article about dropping enrollment that indicated some Mars students aren't able to attend because the district falls in an afternoon session.

“I don't know if there's any flexibility in there?” Ferguson asked.

Speicher said switching sessions depends on many things, including the vo-tech's overall enrollment.

“The answer would be, 'Perhaps, provided we could move someone from the a.m. to the p.m.,” Speicher said. “If there's room, we would accommodate anything like that.”

Board member Anthony DePretis said the board has also heard from district parents that Mars students don't have enough time to attend afternoon vo-tech and make it back to school for sports.

“Then we need to make changes,” Speicher said. “Because that's not acceptable.”

Speicher said vo-tech officials need to be involved in this sort of feedback to make the vo-tech as successful as possible.

Knox said he thinks the district should “fire at least all of the guidance counselors and probably the administration” for suggesting students need to go to college when they might be successful at vo-tech.

“We're just a pack of liars,” Knox said. “Why lie to kids?”

Lenz told Knox district administration and officials are working to expose children to vocational opportunities.

She said an important part of doing that is educating parents about the vo-tech process.

“There might just be some hiccups in how to get this out to the public,” Lenz said. “I can promise you, we are certainly on board.”

“I think it's time to refresh that conversation,” Ferguson said. “The vo-tech is important.”