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Westerly leaders push to expand senior internships, CTE and aviation pathway at high school
Summary
Officials described plans to expand the senior internship coordinator role, consolidate part‑time teaching into full‑time math positions, and pursue a CTE aviation program. Staff said internships would give seniors who have nearly completed credits more community‑based learning and could help the district attract out‑of‑district students.
District staff and committee members described plans to expand a high‑school internship coordinator position to give more seniors community‑based work experiences instead of sit‑in electives.
Speakers said many juniors already finish most graduation credits by the end of 11th grade and that expanding internships would allow those seniors to earn real‑world skills and industry hours while still getting academic oversight. Kelly (staff member), who currently runs the internship work part‑time, has proposed expanding that role to a full‑time position to coordinate placements, handle paperwork and build employer partnerships.
Officials framed the internship expansion as part of the district’s career and technical education (CTE) portfolio, which already includes programs such as cosmetology, culinary and construction. Dr. Garcia (staff member) told the committee that 323 high‑school students took at least one CTE course in 2024–25 and 273 were CTE concentrators (students who completed two or more courses in a sequence).
Staff raised scheduling and staffing tradeoffs: the math department currently includes several part‑time positions (0.6 FTE lines) that administrators said could be replaced by full‑time teachers to reduce administrative complexity and ensure staff are on campus more consistently. Committee members also discussed that some high‑school classes — AP courses, specialized CTE sequences — are intentionally small by regulation or design, and that most other classes are planned to run with around 20 students.
Administrators said they are pursuing approval for a formal CTE aviation program based on existing industry partnerships and interdistrict collaboration. They said an aviation track would be unique in much of southern Rhode Island and could draw students from outside the district. Staff cited available grant opportunities and industry connections as part of the plan to expand CTE offerings.
No formal policy change or vote was taken; the committee asked staff to continue developing the coordinator role, adjust site schedules as part of the budget process and report back with more detailed staffing plans.
