The committee reviewed a lengthy package of Career and Technical Education course revisions and standards and recommended the changes be forwarded to the full Utah State Board of Education for final approval.

Talia Longhurst, identified in the meeting as director of career and technical education for the board, introduced staff specialists who participated in the review. Staff said CTE course review follows an annual revision cycle: roughly a quarter of courses are reviewed each year with input from industry partners and postsecondary educators.

Major decisions and amendments

- Construction technology: The committee removed a repetitive workplace phrase from multiple course standards, approving a motion to strip the wording "environmental awareness builds rapport with peers and fosters appropriate workplace relationships and interactions, respecting differing opinions." That motion passed unanimously.

- Sustainability language: Members asked staff to change one construction standard's learning expectation from "list certifications that promote sustainability" to language asking students to "recognize common sustainability certificates and discuss the benefits and drawbacks." Committee discussion emphasized including common certificates (for example, Energy Star and LEED) but suggested removing less common listings such as the Living Building Challenge; members voted with three in favor and one no to the motion to adopt this wording and to strike the Living Building Challenge example.

- Sustainable building practices: The committee approved revised wording for a construction standard to read, in effect, "explore various sustainable, energy-efficient building practices and their impact on the quality of human life," and added a separate list item to include technologies such as solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, gray-water systems, smart building systems and, by amendment, "nuclear, clean coal and natural gas" in the enumerated list. It also added a new standard to "discuss how regulations impact the cost of building various structures." These construction-item motions were adopted on roll calls recorded in committee.

- Division and technical edits: Staff and the committee agreed to procedural steps to divide long items into a description and a list and to pursue consistent use of acronyms and technical edits across hundreds of course pages.

Course approvals and other subject changes

- The committee approved motion packages that forward dozens of CTE course revisions to the full board for final approval, including electrician, plumbing, video production and many others. Staff indicated some courses (for example, data analytics) would be deferred for later industry input.

- TV broadcasting: The committee added a new strand in TV Broadcasting 1 requiring students to "explore journalism ethics" with elements such as responsibility for accuracy, serving the public and accountability; staff said resources are available to teachers.

- Video production capstone: Committee members recommended striking the phrase "21st-century literacy" from the course description and directing the description to read instead that the capstone "teaches processes necessary for success in commercial and marketing industries." The edit passed.

- Digital marketing and AI: Committee members removed a sentence that described paying for unlimited photo use tied to AI image generation and replaced it with focused bullets on emerging challenges such as deepfakes and copyright and royalty issues for AI-generated images and content. They also added an overarching note to treat AI "as a tool." The change passed unanimously.

- ProStart (national standards): Members raised concerns about some ProStart program language that is set at the national level (National Restaurant Association). The committee directed staff to convey proposed adjustments (for example requests to revise wording on stereotyping, hiring practices and the phrasing "harmoniously") to the Utah Restaurant Association and ask that the state association present suggested changes to the national standards board.

- FACS (Family and Consumer Sciences) sixth grade: The committee amended a decision-making standard to read "talk to a family member or trusted individual," expanding the guidance for students to include both family and other trusted adults; that passed unanimously.

- Scheduling and deferrals: A set of courses (including elementary keyboarding, apprenticeship language, K-12 teaching capstone and data analytics) were deferred for additional staff work and scheduled for the committee's next meeting.

Votes and process notes

Most course approvals and technical-change motions passed by unanimous vote in committee; a handful of amendments produced split votes on particular language items (the sustainability certificate language and certain editorial choices produced a 3-1 margin). Staff said approved course packages and wording changes will be compiled for the full board's consideration.

Board member questions and staff clarifications focused on classroom applicability: staff repeatedly noted that the CTE standards and course lists are intended to guide educators, connect to industry certifications where appropriate, and reflect regional differences in requirements for building or business practice. Several board members asked staff to verify citations, crosswalks to existing law, and how national standards (ProStart) interact with state rule and teacher practice. Staff agreed to consolidate technical edits and return with final drafts to the board.