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Bemidji High School highlights Career and Technical Education, points to employer partnerships and high graduation rates
Summary
Teachers and industry partners presented the high school’s CTE offerings to the ISD 31 school board, describing updated equipment, articulated credits with Northwest Technical College and student outcomes including a cited 92% graduation rate for students in CTE classes.
Bemidji Public Schools presented a spotlight on career and technical education (CTE) at the ISD 31 school board meeting Monday, emphasizing hands-on training, local employer partnerships and pathways to employment.
The presentation was led by Tony Holmes, a career and technical education teacher who said Bemidji’s CTE program has built a house every year since 1994 and works with postsecondary partners for plumbing, heating and electrical instruction. “We build a house every year,” Holmes told the board, adding that graduates from the program are returning to the community as employees and taxpayers.
Holmes walked the board through the program’s history and national context, citing the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917 and later federal and state revisions that, he said, have evolved vocational education into modern CTE. He described a 2022 update to the national “career wheel,” which organizes career clusters and pathways, and said the district currently offers pathways including construction, advanced manufacturing, transportation and supply chain.
Nicholas Roland, the high school’s new manufacturing and machine trades instructor, described classroom projects and shop work intended to match the skills local employers request. “I never taught anything before, but I love what I do and I love teaching kids and helping them capture that moment where they realize they can imagine something,” Roland said, explaining students move from design to production using 3-D printers and machine tools.
Holmes and Roland said the program maintains advisory committees with local employers to align training with industry needs; Holmes thanked Wells Technology and other partners for advising the program and hiring graduates.
Board members and administrators praised the program’s student outcomes and community alignment. Superintendent Olson (listed in the meeting materials as the district superintendent) noted the program’s role in local economic development and the board discussed growing pathways such as health care and cybersecurity in response to employer needs.
Holmes told the board the district’s CTE courses have high completion and graduation outcomes: “92 percent of all kids who take CTE classes graduate,” he said, framing CTE as a motivator for students at risk of dropping out. The presentation also included examples of student projects, robotics work and postsecondary credit agreements with Northwest Technical College.
Board members asked about articulated credits, partnerships and expansion opportunities. Holmes said the district already offers articulated credits for carpentry, electrical, plumbing and CNA coursework and is exploring additional alignments with local employers and postsecondary institutions.
The board did not take formal action on program expansion at the meeting; trustees encouraged continued outreach to employers and further work to align pathways with community workforce needs.
The presentation closed with thanks to teachers and industry partners and a request from staff to continue the district’s strategic alignment work so CTE can meet local labor market demand.
