SCUC ISD presents long‑range CTE plan, highlights equipment and facility gaps

SCHERTZ-CIBOLO-UNIVERSAL CITY ISD staff presented a long‑range plan for Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs at the board’s December meeting, outlining current offerings, enrollment differences across campuses, facility shortcomings and a multi‑million dollar equipment and construction estimate to modernize programs.

The district’s CTE presenter, identified in the meeting as Ms. Massey, told the board that CTE connects “academic and technical skills to help further the education for either careers or that next opportunity for our students,” and summarized program scope: 16 programs of study that translate to about 86 different courses, 26 state‑recognized industry certifications and five local certificates such as food‑handler and CPR. Massey said the district issued roughly 2,000 industry or local certifications this past school year, up from about 1,500 the previous year.

Board members and staff walked trustees through side‑by‑side comparisons of Steele High School and Clements High School facilities. Massey said Clements’ culinary kitchen is roughly 5,000 square feet and serves about 240 students per day; Steele’s kitchen is about 2,400 square feet and serves roughly 237 students per day. Massey described similar disparities in welding/AgMEC bays, floral and small‑animal labs, robotics and engineering spaces, and noted that several Steele labs were converted from older classroom footprints rather than built for modern CTE use.

Massey listed five planning themes: program parity, program expansion, district facilities and vehicles, student experiences and prospective growth. She identified specific facility or equipment needs: expanded culinary kitchens and professional equipment at Steele; added welding bays and ventilation; larger robotics and engineering lab space; a walk‑in cooler and fenced animal wash areas at Steele; updated poultry broiler heaters; upgraded perimeter fencing and parking at the Toby Connor Ag Complex; and replacement trailers and vehicles for CTE transportation. She quantified some fleet needs as “replace four Suburbans and two mini‑buses” and said the average trailer age is about 14 years.

On funding, Massey said the district relies on a mix of local funding, Perkins grant dollars and periodic maintenance funds; she said Perkins funds are typically used for equipment upkeep rather than major purchases. She provided an equipment estimate of about $8.3 million to bring current CTE classrooms, labs and fleet equipment to the next level; she said that figure “does not include the cost of the expansions” (construction). Trustees and administrators later described rough new‑construction costs that would push total program expansion and renovation “north of $12 million.”

JD (identified in the presentation as a district staff member who assisted with cost estimates) explained that the construction cost figures shown to the board used a notional $600 per square foot for new construction to give trustees a planning order of magnitude rather than a final design estimate.

Trustees raised maintenance and sustainability concerns. One board member noted that adding space implies recurring maintenance and staffing costs and urged staff to include long‑term operating estimates in the district’s budget planning. Massey and other administrators said program expansion would require district decisions about priorities and potential future bond or other capital funding.

Massey also discussed possible new programs the district could add if space and funding were available, including trades such as HVAC, plumbing and electrical; automotive and diesel mechanics; and cosmetology. She said an initial cost estimate for a cosmetology startup is roughly $200,000 and that heavy‑equipment programs would require substantial space and equipment investment. She noted potential instructional benefits for students, including higher engagement, higher graduation rates for CTE concentrators and direct ties to industry certifications.

The board did not vote on capital spending for CTE at this meeting. Trustees asked staff to include CTE facility needs in the district’s long‑range expenditure planning and legislative priorities work in the coming months.