Editorial: Big win for Peaslee Tech

Its acceptance as a Board of Regents institution is a big step toward being a recognized school.

Acceptance as a private, postsecondary institution by the Kansas Board of Regents is a major victory for Lawrence’s Dwayne Peaslee Technical Training Center.

Peaslee Tech is a vocational training center funded by the city, county, the Economic Development Council of Lawrence and Douglas County and local businesses. The center is in a 65,000-square-foot building at 2920 Haskell Ave. and provides workforce training for adults as well as high school students.

Kevin Kelley, executive director at Peaslee, said the designation by the Board of Regents is a big step. “This is really an important part in the process of taking Peaslee from being a center to being a school,” he said.

The designation does not mean that Peaslee is eligible for state funding; however, the designation could still help financially by making Peaslee eligible to participate in a statewide program to help retrain Kansas residents who are unemployed and underemployed. People who apply for job retraining assistance through the Heartland Works office now will be able to choose Peaslee Tech as a place to take classes.

Acceptance by the Board of Regents also will help Peaslee with accreditation from national organizations. Kelley said Peaslee Tech hasn’t sought accreditation yet, but that full accreditation would make it easier for students at Peaslee Tech to qualify for federal financial aid.

The biggest win for Peaslee is that the designation as a sanctioned workforce-training center should be a catalyst for enrollment growth. Presently, Kelley said Peaslee has 409 students. Kelley said he would like to see enrollment reach 1,000 students in three to five years.

Peaslee offers credit-based courses in heating, ventilation and air conditioning; industrial engineering technology; automotive technology; power plant technology; welding; allied health; and various academic support courses. The courses are taught by instructors with Johnson County Community College, Flint Hills Technical College and Neosho County Community College.

Some of the credentialed courses offered include industrial maintenance, computer training, health care, environmental health and safety, transportation, leadership and quality.

The Lawrence College and Career Center at Peaslee offers training to high school students in bioscience, health care, computers and other subjects.

Peaslee Technical Center is a key asset to economic development efforts in Lawrence and Douglas County. Gaining acceptance as a private, postsecondary institution by the Kansas Board of Regents is not only a boost for the center, it’s a boost for the community as a whole.