Sarasota expands career, technical and college‑readiness programs; students report rising scholarship totals
Loading...
Summary
District officials showcased growth in CTE participation, SchoolLinks use, experiential learning events and the new county farm; graduates reported higher scholarship totals and increased enrollment in technical programs.
District career and technical education leaders told the Sarasota County School Board on July 22 that work‑based learning, industry credentials and college‑and‑career planning tools are expanding across the district.
Tripp Jennings, the district’s CCLR lead, and program manager Michelle Groves said about half of the district’s students in grades 6–12 engage in CTE coursework, and the district recorded roughly 4,500 industry credentials earned annually. They reported strong use of SchoolLinks, the district’s college‑and‑career planning platform, and said summer engagement on that platform has been robust.
Data and programs
- SchoolLinks use: Since June 1, over 1,160 students accessed SchoolLinks during the summer; the district is using the platform to capture students’ career‑cluster interests and postsecondary plans and to track event signups. The board approved a multi‑year renewal of the platform.
- College and enrollment results: For the class of 2025, students reported more than $23,000,000 in scholarships received — an increase from about $18.8 million the prior year — and total college acceptances and unique college applications rose. Stafford Technical College and Suncoast Technical College appeared more frequently on student enrollment lists, signaling expanded interest in technical pathways.
- Experiential learning: The district ran nearly 120 middle‑school events and 270 high‑school events during the reporting period with thousands of students participating; activities included industry guest speakers, employer field trips, technical‑college tours and application workshops.
- The farm: The district’s 40‑acre school farm completed a soft opening and hosted more than 500 students on field trips in a partial year; the facility hosted 32 student‑owned animal projects this spring, many of which won awards at the county fair. Phase‑1 construction is complete and a public ribbon cutting is scheduled for Sept. 10; Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson was invited to attend.
New and planned initiatives
- A practical life skills course aligned to state career‑research standards has been developed and will be available to staff through Schoology.
- New multimedia and AI‑infused pathway investments: Wellen Park High School and Sky Ranch (opening this year) will include CTE pathways such as agri‑technology, computer science with AI and cybersecurity components, multimedia and hospitality. The district also announced a $100,000 Gulf Coast Community Foundation grant to pilot an AI‑based digital cinema production program in partnership with local industry and a national production lab model.
- Definition and measurement of college‑and‑career readiness: The district uses a locally adopted, metric‑based definition of “college and career ready” integrated into SchoolLinks; current baseline measures show 61% of graduates meeting the district’s readiness indicators and staff plan a work group to recommend improvements.
What board members asked
Board members urged continued expansion of middle‑school exposure to careers, more parent tutorials for SchoolLinks, and close attention to the potential funding impacts from state changes to accelerated‑course weights that also affect Cape/CTE funding.
Ending
Officials said the district will continue to expand employer and postsecondary partnerships, refine measures of readiness, and pursue grant funding to scale innovative programs.
