Big Walnut staff outline expansion of career pathways, CTE partnerships and waitlist pressures

District staff on May 19 told the Big Walnut Local Schools Board of Education the district is expanding career-education efforts—including College Credit Plus courses, partnerships with DAC and BridgeEd, and new career-pathway planning—to give more students options for college, skilled work and military service.

The presentation, given by Mike Robertson and introduced by Superintendent Ryan McClain, summarized three “buckets” of work the district says it will sustain: events (career fairs, panels), electives and courses, and formal career pathways that can lead to industry credentials. Robertson said expanding these offerings also helps students meet state college-and-career readiness indicators used on school report cards.

Robertson said the district tracks student interest and availability of programs before deciding next steps. He reported that 99 students applied to DAC programs this year, 74 were accepted and 11 were wait‑listed; waitlisted slots included six for cosmetology, two for auto tech, and single waits for welding, power sports and diesel, and exercise science. He also described trends in College Credit Plus participation and said district students’ course-success rates compare favorably to a partner college’s overall participants.

Robertson outlined what formal career pathways require under state rules: a district CTE‑26 plan, articulation with a career-technical partner (in Big Walnut’s case, DAC), an advisory board, work‑based learning hours and technical-skill attainment tied to industry‑recognized credentials. He told the board that creating a district pathway also brings state per‑pupil funding (he estimated roughly $17.74 per pupil, as a ballpark figure) that varies by career cluster.

Board members asked about students who report plans for a gap year and about how many students remain waitlisted for popular DAC programs. Robertson said gap‑year responses vary—some students plan to work, others are undecided—and repeated that counselors meet with every student annually to refine plans. On the DAC waitlist he flagged cosmetology and technical programs as areas with clear demand.

Robertson also recommended follow‑up steps including maintaining district career events, increasing course‑based experiences tied to career exploration, and exploring formal pathways where student interest and low capital costs align—such as business, computer science, media/AV and health sciences. He suggested that more capital‑intensive programs (auto tech, welding) may remain DAC’s role in the near term.

Board members did not take formal action on specific pathways at the meeting; Robertson said the district will keep the board updated as staff and partners develop proposals and any required CTE‑26 submissions.

Robertson closed by asking board members to review the statewide career‑cluster resources he cited and invited further questions.