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Sharyland ISD board approves CTE course expansions, emphasizes stakeholder input and practicum rules
Summary
Sharyland ISD trustees approved a set of new career and technical education (CTE) courses and programs of study and directed staff to form stakeholder committees to write practicum eligibility guidelines and implementation procedures.
Sharyland ISD trustees voted to approve expansions and updates to the district's career and technical education program, adopting new courses and several new programs of study and directing staff to develop enrollment and practicum eligibility guidelines.
The board approved the slate after an extended discussion about how the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) upcoming accountability changes and local labor-market data shaped the district's choices. The vote passed 5-0 with a motion by Hector Rivera and a second by Julio Serra.
District staff said the package includes multiple new practicum-level courses (marked in blue in the materials) and several new programs of study (highlighted in yellow). Staff and trustees described the changes as the result of a Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA) and outreach with industry partners and teachers to align course offerings to local labor-market signals and TEA's updated accountability expectations.
Vanessa Liao, introduced by trustees as the district's new CTE director, told the board the team prioritized industry-based certifications (IBCs) and practicums that give students credit toward college-and-career-readiness metrics. She said staff looked at local labor-market information and the cost and pass rates of available industry certifications when selecting which certifications to recommend.
Trustees repeatedly asked how students, parents and teachers would be included in implementation. Liao and other staff said the approval authorizes the courses and programs; the next step is to convene stakeholder committees composed of teachers, students, parents and industry partners to draft participation criteria and enrollment procedures for practicums. Board members emphasized that guidelines will need to explain prerequisites, seat limits and priority rules (for example, whether juniors and seniors already in a pathway would receive priority for practicum seats over newer students).
Board members and staff noted several operational clarifications during the discussion: the district intends to offer the new HVAC program as a program-of-study based at SHS (the course would be open to district students but delivered at that campus), the district has existing substitute-certification arrangements with UTRGV that it currently funds but is considering district-developed alternatives, and some industry certification exams range widely in cost (staff used an example of a high-cost certification that had low pass rates versus an inexpensive exam with higher pass rates when explaining selection criteria).
Trustees asked staff to ensure course catalogs and the district website are updated to reflect program changes so families are not misled about availability. Several trustees stressed the importance of maintaining opportunities for exploratory CTE experiences so students who have not yet settled on a pathway can still sample multiple fields.
The board approved the CTE course and program changes 5-0. Trustees directed staff to: convene stakeholder committees to draft practicum eligibility and enrollment procedures, publish updated course information to campuses and the district website, and return with any proposed changes to the district's substitute-certification funding approach after HR discussions.
