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Estacada leaders outline multi‑year CTE revamp, seek curriculum funding and industry partnerships
Summary
District staff presented a multi‑year plan to expand career and technical education (CTE) pathways — including diesel/transportation, manufacturing, agriculture and a new electrical systems program — and said they will pursue state approval, industry partnerships and about $300,000–$400,000 in curriculum investment.
Estacada School District staff and the superintendent presented a multi‑year plan on March 12 to expand and modernize the district’s career and technical education programs, including a new electrical systems pathway and a strengthened diesel/transportation track, and said they will pursue state program approval and industry partnerships.
The plan matters because the district intends the CTE changes to create direct pathways to apprenticeships, college credit and local jobs, district staff said.
Aaron Gardenhire, who led the presentation, described a four‑level program sequence across four program areas — transportation/diesel, manufacturing, agriculture and electrical systems — designed to move students from introductory coursework to industry experience and pre‑apprenticeship opportunities. Gardenhire said the district is preparing an Oregon Department of Education (ODE) program approval packet for the new electrical program before June and is working with partners including Clackamas Community College, PGE and IBEW Local 48 to secure letters of commitment and pre‑apprenticeship connections.
"The goal is really to provide a best in class experience for [students] and position them to be competitive in post secondary opportunities, as well as direct industry employment after graduation," Gardenhire said.
Gardenhire said the manufacturing pathway will broaden beyond a welding focus to include machining and work with multiple materials (metal, wood, textiles) so students leave with a broader set of skills. For transportation, he said the district will combine gas and diesel foundations in early coursework and enable students to specialize later, with articulation to community colleges that offer advanced diesel training.
Superintendent Ryan Carpenter and CTE staff emphasized that aligning curriculum to industry standards and college coursework is central to the plan. Carpenter told the board the district will likely ask the board in coming months to invest "$300,000 to $400,000" in curriculum and tools to modernize CTE offerings and to support dual‑credit and pre‑apprenticeship readiness. Carpenter said those investments would be staged across the district’s budgeting process.
Board members pressed for clarity on how the district will track students after graduation and ensure the handoff to apprenticeships or postsecondary programs leads to employment. Gardenhire and district staff said they plan agreements and tracking mechanisms with partners and community colleges to follow students into apprenticeships and jobs.
Gardenhire also described a proposed regional collaboration, described in materials as a South County career technical advancement partnership (working title), to allow Estacada students to access programs at neighboring districts while remaining Estacada students and to share college credit arrangements with Clackamas Community College.
District staff presented the CTE work as a multi‑year rollout rather than a single‑year change. Gardenhire said the district’s goal is to have instructors, curriculum and industry agreements in place so students can earn industry‑recognized credentials or receive credit that reduces time and cost for further training.
The presentation included questions from board members on specifics, including articulation with diesel programs at regional training centers and whether students would earn credentials employers recognize. Gardenhire said he has visited regional programs and is arranging articulation agreements with Chemeketa and others.
The board did not take formal action on the CTE plan at the March 12 meeting. Carpenter said he would return with budget requests and ODE application materials in future months.
The district named potential partners in the presentation and Q&A, including Clackamas Community College, PGE and IBEW Local 48, and outlined outreach to Malolla/Molalla School District (transcript spelling varied) as part of a regional approach.
Heading into budget season, Carpenter said district leaders view CTE investments as a priority to modernize programs and to meet local employer demand.
