Panic broke out at the beginning of August when MVHS students participating in DECA and FBLA were notified that they could no longer be members of either club unless they fell in line with strict new policies. The two largest organizations on campus lost many members, and the issue only escalated during the first few weeks of school. Petitions were signed, constitutions drafted, meetings assembled and adjourned; it seemed like the student body, or at least those students affiliated with the business clubs, were mobilizing for war.
If it isn’t common knowledge already, DECA and FBLA are no longer labeled as clubs, but as Career and Technical Student Organizations. The goal of CTSOs, according to Principal April Scott, is to connect what students learn in classes like business or marketing, with “real world” experiences.
Students participating in CTSOs must, under the Carl D. Perkins Act of 2006, be enrolled in a CTE in order for the organizations to receive federal funding. Up until 2013, this law was easy to ignore because both DECA and FBLA received ample funding from their members. But early last year, California passed Assembly Bill 1575, which gave students and parents the right to file a complaint against schools that were charging illegal fees. These illegal fees included the membership fees that DECA, FBLA, and many other clubs on campus collected . Because the business CTSOs could no longer receive funding from their members, they were forced to enact the new membership policies in order to receive federal funding. Students have proven that they could self-learn and champion in DECA and FBLA competitions; enforcing the Perkins act earlier when funding was not needed would have been fruitless. Now, however, narrowing eligibility is probably better than having to shut down the clubs due to lack of funds.
The original membership policies were that students must be currently enrolled in a business class or previously enrolled in Principles of Business and currently enrolled in JAVA. Freshmen that attended the 2014 summer business boot camp or seniors that were members before the changes were also allowed to join the organizations this school year. A week after students were informed of these new policies, a constitution was drafted. It’s preamble, mimicking the US Constitution, began with “We the students of Monta Vista High School” and went on to state why they believed the restrictions should be modified. It also listed competitively successful members who were no longer eligible to participate in either organization.
narrowing eligibility is probably better than having to shut down the clubs
After numerous meetings with business advisors, counselors and April Scott, a few minor exceptions were made, such as allowing the summer boot camp counselors to join this school year. On the surface, it seemed like administration was taking students’ perspectives and needs into consideration, though only to the extent that it didn’t significantly broaden the restrictions.
These policy changes were only able to bring back a little over 10 members, which begs the question: What good is it for organizations as large as DECA and FBLA to deny students who put such relentless effort into their cause membership?
No matter how legitimate the reasons were for enforcing the new membership policies this year, there is no justification for the poor communication . After all, AB1575 was passed long before course enrollment began. All DECA and FBLA members should have been told clearly what classes they were expected to take in order to be eligible to participate in either organization before course registration, not a week before school started.
Despite how poorly the new policies were implemented, administration did respond to the issue professionally and with a relatively open mind. In the future, students need to be given all the facts so that they can make informed decisions. The new business membership policies must be communicated in e-mails, on the course registration forms and on the DECA and FBLA websites. If proper communication is a cardinal rule of business, then there is much to be concerned about regarding our business CTSOs.
