Students enrolled in construction and woodworking classes at Wauwatosa East High School have been forced to find alternative electives, after school administrators canceled the popular classes last week because of teacher turnover in the Technology Education program.
An estimated 100 or more Tosa East students were affected by the cancellations. Families were informed Oct. 5 in an email from Principal Stephen Plank that school counselors would work with the students on options to fill the sudden gaps in their schedules while prioritizing seniors' graduation requirements.
The cancelations include the school's construction capstone class, which is paired with a state-certified pre-apprenticeship program and typically culminates in the spring with an Industry Signing Day, a ceremonial event where students "commit" to working with local construction firms. The last Industry Signing Day, in May, celebrated the achievements of 45 high school students in the program.
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That tradition is unlikely to continue this school year, though Plank told Tosa Forward News that the school is committed to finding a suitable tech ed teacher to take over the program as soon as possible, most likely by the start of the 2027-28 school year. "I feel pretty confident we'll be up and running again," Plank said. "It's like we've hit pause."
The cancelations also affect some Wauwatosa West High School students, because the construction capstone classes are offered to juniors and seniors in Tosa East, Tosa West and the two Elmbrook high schools. Tosa East had 17 students in that class this year, along with seven from Tosa West and three from Elmbrook.