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High school career-tech programs funded largely by Perkins grants, board hears
Summary
District staff described equipment purchases, industry credentials and student participation in Gettysburg Area School District career and technical education programs and how Perkins and other grants pay for equipment and certification fees.
Mr. Lusk, a school staff member, told the Gettysburg Area School District Board that the district uses federal and state funds to support career and technical education (CTE) offerings and to reduce the burden on local taxpayers.
He said the district collects program-enrollment forms that determine which students are counted as participants and that the district receives “approximately $700 for every student who fills out a valid form.” He also said 248 students filed such forms for the first semester this school year.
Those program-enrollment counts help determine how Perkins and other grant funds are spent, Lusk said. He gave examples of equipment bought or targeted for purchase with Perkins or other supplemental equipment grants: a floral refrigerator that cost about $4,500; industrial binders and a $22,000 piece of equipment purchased with local money in the 1998–99 school year that the district hopes to replace with grant funds rather than a $27,000 budget line; screen printers, t-shirt dryers, embroidery machines, a TriCaster video switcher used for live-streaming graduation, interactive multi-touch screens, Cricut machines for the school store, 3D printers, laser cutters, lathes and structural stress analyzers.
Lusk said the district is increasing support for industry-recognized credentials. He listed examples offered or earned by students: OSHA general industry certification, an OSHA agriculture credential, Dairy Farmers of America credentials in the agriculture program, Microsoft Office associate- and expert-level credentials, Adobe Illustrator credentials in communications, and multimeter training and certification newly added in engineering. He said about 50 students last year graduated with earned credentials.
Board members asked whether the district’s equipment is comparable to industry standards. Lusk said local occupational advisory committees advise purchases and that while equipment is not always “cutting edge,” it generally aligns with private-sector expectations and prepares students to use current tools. He said the district sometimes projects equipment needs five to 10 years into the future when deciding how to spend Perkins money.
Board discussion noted that CTE programs are highly regulated and require oversight by staff. Members praised the push for certifications as removing barriers for students entering the workforce and discussed how overlap among programs (for example, a student in agriculture also taking accounting) affects counts reported for each program.
The presentation closed with Lusk recounting a graduate who reported being better prepared for college engineering classes because of high school CTE experience.
The board did not take formal action on the presentation.
