Kathy Oddy, coordinator for career and technical education, told the committee on July 17 that the district offers 40 different CTE pathways across 14 career clusters and currently enrolls more than 15,000 students in those programs.
The nut graf: staff highlighted a year-over-year increase in industry-recognized credentials and continued investment in hands-on equipment and teacher externships funded in part by referendum dollars, which the district says expand opportunities beyond general-fund offerings.
Oddy said 748 seniors graduated with the criteria to earn articulated credits (three CTE courses and a 3.0 GPA) and that the district reported 2,176 CAPE-recognized industry certifications this year—about a 15% increase over 23-24. She described middle-school digital literacy gains (961 middle-school students earning digital tools, a 37% increase) and noted many students are competing in national-level student-organization events this summer (FFA, HOSA, SkillsUSA, FBLA).
CTE instruction supports teacher externships; Oddy said up to eight teachers completed paid externships this summer and that referendum funds help provide industry-level equipment and stipends for teacher participation in externships.
Ending: Oddy said summer competitions are ongoing and the district will compile results for a future report; no formal decisions were made by the committee.