Limestone County schools proclaim Career and Technical Education Month; superintendent proposes elementary STEAM hires

Superintendent Randy Sharrell told the Limestone County Board of Education on the record that the Alabama State Department of Education and national education groups have designated Feb. 1–28, 2025 as Career and Technical Education Month and presented a proclamation to mark the observance.

Sharrell said the district’s career and technical education programs “have become a rigorous, progressive, and vital part of the total education system,” and he read the proclamation declaring Feb. 1 through Feb. 28, 2025 as Career and Technical Education Month.

The proclamation framed career and technical programs as partners with business and industry to give students hands-on experience, college credit opportunities and workforce skills. Sharrell said 2 out of every 3 Alabama high-school students currently participate in a CTE program, citing state-level participation statistics mentioned in the proclamation.

In the same superintendent’s report, Sharrell announced the district’s school bus inspection exit report: the state inspection returned a 100% score for the district’s buses. Sharrell credited “Russ and all the mechanics at the bus shop” for the result and said the district aims to maintain that level of safety.

Sharrell also described a district proposal to add elementary-level STEAM teachers (science, technology, engineering, agriculture and mathematics). He said the district would like to have eight STEAM teachers systemwide next school year; one STEAM teacher is already at Tanner. Sharrell estimated the annual cost to hire the eight positions at roughly $600,000 and said the new positions would be funded from general funds unless grant or legislator-allocated funds are applied; he noted some legislators give discretionary funds that could be used for start-up materials.

Board members and principals in the room were identified by the superintendent as supportive; Sharrell said principals had discussed hands-on classroom activities and outdoor classroom maintenance as part of the program planning. He said the STEAM teachers could also provide planning time relief to classroom teachers.

Sharrell announced that Free to Teach, a regional program that distributes classroom supplies donated by businesses, will hold a Limestone County kickoff event on the downtown Athens square with a reception to follow; he said teachers can shop the warehouse for supplies, including some scientific materials, and noted the program started small in Madison-Huntsville area and has since grown.

No formal board action to adopt the STEAM hiring plan was recorded at the meeting; the discussion was part of the superintendent’s report. Board members asked about funding and start-up costs; Sharrell said the district would pursue available grant funds and use other funding sources for start-up where appropriate.

The superintendent’s report also included the district financial highlights for the month (see separate article), and the board moved on to the consent agenda and personnel items later in the meeting.