“Doing what we said we’d do.”

Making the districts work was the new challenge for the VTAE system on the eve of the 1970’s.  Eugene Lehrmann was appointed state director in 1971 and saw as his biggest challenge to “do what we said we would do – deliver vocational, technical and adult education to everyone in the new districts.”9

A new, but yet to be recognized, partner in making the districts work was the VTAE District Boards Association, incorporated in June of 1971, and first meeting for organizational purposes in July of 1971.  The Association’s first quarterly meeting was held on April 29, 1972, at Waukesha County.  Thirty-one district board members and district directors10 signed the attendance roll.  William Pierce, president of the Waukesha board, welcomed the members and introduced programs entitled, “Liability and the Board Member,” and “Legal Implications of Liability and the School Board Member.”

The members agreed to hire a secretary part-time from Madison Area Technical College who would get the various notes to the executive committee and delegates, and take care of correspondence.  It was further agreed that for future meetings, the hosting district director would arrange for a secretary for purposes of taking and typing minutes.  This arrangement was to continue through 1986, when Tama Meili joined the organization.

The minutes also report an executive committee meeting was held with State Director Lehrmann; that Governor Lucey should be invited to the next meeting to tell them what the role of the VTAE is in the state of Wisconsin; and that each delegate (now board of director member) should attempt to bring five other board members to the next meeting.

Association Organization in the Early Years

In the early years, the organization of meetings was more typical of a convention with each district selecting a voting delegate to represent the district at business meetings. At meetings, the delegate, the district director, and other board members sat at an assigned district table collectively discussing and making decisions on the agenda’s action items.

The operational functions of the organization were handled by the executive committee which included the president, vice president, secretary/treasurer and four other members.  Frequent participants in these meetings were State Director Lehrmann and a district director.

1970’s – The Growing Years