District staff on June 17 presented details of a two‑year career-coaching grant and an implementation plan that shifts career education from a high-school focus to a K–12 model, with district coaches, an employability app and Agilities career profiling.

The presentation said the grant (a mini‑grant model coordinated through a regional consortium named in grant materials as NYSEK) provided $5,000 for student and staff experiences and $10,000 to support district coaches; three district staff — an elementary lead, a middle-school lead and a high-school lead — formed the district coaching team. Staff described a train‑the‑trainer approach that will introduce career concepts in elementary units, embed employability skills in curriculum maps and expand career fairs and employer partnerships at middle and high schools.

Presenters said the program includes an "Agilities" work profiler and an Employability App that provides grade‑level lessons and a digital tracking system. The district must document student participation in career activities per child (for example: career-fair attendance, mock interviews, workplace experiences) rather than only reporting schoolwide activities. Staff described vendor training and pilot career-week events and noted materials and modest stipends have been purchased; stipend funding of $10,000 was included in the grant budget for coaches' work.

Trustees asked about obstacles and sustainability. Presenters cited time for training and teacher buy‑in as primary challenges, and said sustainability will require local employer partnerships (they cited contact with Cleveland‑Cliffs and other area employers) so career offerings can continue after grant funds end. Staff said remaining funds must be spent by Dec. 30 in the grant timeline and that a multi-year plan for sustaining programming is part of their work.

Staff also described pilot activities already completed: an elementary career-week pilot and middle/high-school career fairs with 30–50 employer tables and alumni participation. They asked the board to approve continued implementation and to support teacher/instructional-coach training to roll the program out more broadly in 2025–26.

Ending: Staff will proceed with train‑the‑trainer activities and employer outreach; trustees requested periodic updates on teacher training, use of stipends and progress toward a sustainable district plan.