Tysha Smith, the district’s Career and Technical Education director, briefed the board on CTE (Career and Technical Education) offerings, funding and student outcomes.

Smith said CHISD offers nine career pathways and roughly 67 CTE courses districtwide; students can earn state‑approved industry‑based certifications (IBCs) in approximately 20 career fields, and the district operates four student‑led businesses. She noted CHISD received a first federal Perkins allocation this cycle of $676,251 (figure cited in the presentation) and that Perkins (PIC 22) funds pay for instructional supplies, student IBC exam fees, and CTSO (Career and Technical Student Organization) competition travel.

Smith described the CTE continuum from early awareness (pre‑K–2), exploration (grades 3–8) to application and concentrator/completer status in high school. She explained the state’s auto‑coding and the code definitions used to track participation: code 5 = participant (<2 CTE credits), code 6 = concentrator (≥2 credits in a single program of study), and code 7 = completer (4+ CTE credits in same program of study with at least one level‑3/4 course and a state‑approved IBC). The district’s stated immediate goal is to increase concentrators (code 6) and completers (code 7).

Smith said the district pays for students’ certification exams and funds CTSO competition costs; CHISD also received roughly $23,500 annually in CCMR outcomes reimbursements for IBCs that meet state criteria (one reimbursable IBC per student). Smith described work‑based learning pilots (students paid via a grant this summer, with transportation provided by a district staff member) and said the district plans to expand equipment and tech investments, strengthen instructional frameworks in partnership with Region 10, and grow employer partnerships.

Trustees asked for more disaggregated data (by grade and cohort) on how many students earn IBCs, which grade levels produce the current totals, and targets for increases; Smith and board members agreed to provide more detailed counts and goals at a future meeting. Smith noted a lag between certification testing and state reporting because the state credits certifications in the student’s senior year.