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Teachers ask board to expand support for FBLA and middle‑level CTSOs to grow CTE pipeline
Summary
Lost River teachers asked the board to adjust competition‑support funding so more middle‑school CTSO (Career and Technical Student Organization) students can attend regional and state FBLA events; they proposed partial reimbursement rules and higher qualifying standards for high‑school competitors.
Teachers from Lost River and other schools urged the board to shift how the district divides competition‑support funds so more middle‑level students can attend state FBLA events and so high‑school entries are more selective.
Benjie Hensley and Heather (teacher) told the board the district’s CTSO (career‑technical student organization) programs — such as FBLA, FFA and HOSA — provide experiential education that helps students transition into high‑school technical programs. They said feeder middle‑school programs strengthen high‑school participation and lower the onboarding burden for high‑school teachers.
Hensley and Heather presented membership numbers from district chapters: Mazama had 55 FBLA members (26 freshmen), Lost River grew from 3 junior high participants last year to 14 this year, Gilchrist had 6 and Bonanza had 9 junior high members. The presenters said districtwide there were about 63 junior high FBLA members and about 124 high‑school FBLA members.
Their request: the district consider covering half of registration and half of hotel fees for qualifying middle‑level students, set a minimum GPA requirement (they proposed 2.5–3.0), require regional qualification and place students to top 5 at regionals (the presenters proposed tightening from the existing top‑10 standard), and for high‑school competitors adopt stricter qualification rules to keep entries focused on prepared students. The presenters said principals and advisers would vet applications and could set school‑specific thresholds.
Board members expressed support for CTE and for feeder‑program development. The board did not take formal action; staff said they will discuss the proposal with building principals and advisers and provide follow‑up information if needed.
