WASA review recommends stable CTE leadership, OSPI compliance and targeted pathways for Granite Falls
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Summary
A Washington Association of School Administrators review of Granite Falls’ career and technical education recommended hiring a part-time CTE director, aligning staffing to enrollment, ensuring OSPI course approvals, and expanding advisory-committee engagement to rebuild enrollment and program sustainability.
The Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA) management review of Granite Falls School District’s career and technical education (CTE) program recommended the district hire a part‑time CTE director, align staffing with enrollment and student interest, and ensure all CTE courses have OSPI approval.
The review, summarized at the meeting by CTE teacher Josh Van Jensen, found that frequent turnover in the district CTE leadership had produced inconsistent direction and compliance. “The findings that are being shared tonight are not my opinions,” Van Jensen told the board. “They are the findings of a very, experienced and very capable group of people that look at and provide usable feedback for growth and change within CTE departments.”
Key findings and recommendations: WASA consultants reported that CTE enrollment has declined year over year, producing an estimated $700,000 revenue shortfall for the department and leaving some classes underenrolled and the program effectively overstaffed for current participation levels. The consultants recommended aligning staffing to enrollment and student-interest data, using advisory committees to shape course offerings, and expanding dual- and articulated-credit opportunities with community colleges to boost participation.
Compliance and certification: The review found multiple instances of courses that lacked timely OSPI approval and a pattern of teachers holding conditional certifications that were renewed repeatedly. WASA recommended tighter monitoring of certification progress, faster movement from conditional to full certification, and correct pairing of course classification (CIP/"ZIP") codes with teachers’ vocational (V) codes so instructors are legally and appropriately authorized to teach specific CTE courses.
Student pathways and community input: The report highlighted that roughly 70 percent of Granite Falls students use a CTE graduation pathway, and evaluators identified health sciences and construction/manufacturing as high‑interest areas in the district and Snohomish County’s skills-gap data. The consultants recommended focusing limited district resources on high-demand pathways and using advisory committees of local industry partners to validate equipment, curriculum and facilities planning.
District reaction and next steps: Superintendent Dana Keesland and board members discussed the recommendations at length. Staff proposed hiring a part‑time CTE director (a common model for districts the size of Granite Falls) to provide consistent leadership, build industry partnerships and shepherd OSPI approvals; the board asked for follow-up reporting on hiring, course approvals and enrollment trends. Van Jensen described the report as a basis to “revitalize” the program if the board invests in leadership and community partnerships.
Ending: The board did not vote on specific CTE budget changes at the meeting. Staff said they will bring implementation steps—hiring a part‑time CTE coordinator, submitting pending OSPI course approvals, aligning staffing to enrollment, and convening advisory committees—for board review during the spring/summer planning cycle.
