Greendale board highlights career pathways, honors local business partners
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Summary
The board heard presentations on career pathways — AP/dual‑enrollment, youth apprenticeships and work‑based learning — and recognized Concordia Pharmacy and a local HVAC outreach partner for student partnerships. Students proposed ACP surveys and shadowing to boost trades access.
The Greendale School District Board of Education on Monday heard a series of presentations on career pathways and recognized local businesses that support hands‑on learning for students.
Tom Herman introduced two community partners that the district said have expanded students’ exposure to health and trade careers. Dr. Marco Pickert of Concordia Pharmacy described a 16‑hour health‑science immersion that gives students hands‑on pharmacy and legal/technical exposure and helps prepare them for youth apprenticeships. "These experiences are the things that really help them decide, do I like this or not?" Herman said.
Julie Hamm, an AP teacher, summarized advanced placement and dual‑credit options at Greendale High School, saying more students are taking AP classes and that AP/dual‑credit pathways save families tuition. Hamm noted district students have earned credits through university partnerships, citing roughly 221 transcripted credits she said had saved about $122,000 and a broader AP/dual‑credit total (reported in the presentation) of about 843 credits with roughly $299,000 in tuition savings over time.
Mr. Lotus and counseling staff described off‑site dual‑enrollment academies at Waukesha County Technical College and Milwaukee Area Technical College, plus ECCP/Start College Now options and GPS work‑based learning in manufacturing, automotive and welding. The board was told many participants in those programs are hire‑ready after completion.
Students in the audience offered proposals to broaden access. Student Noah proposed targeted newsletters and one‑day shadowing opportunities; Maddie and Noah urged an ACP (academic and career plan) survey to better match career‑pathway instruction to student interests. "This could help us gauge how well students understand the importance of things like standardized test scores and GPA for certain careers," one student told the board.
Board members and administrators responded that the counseling office will host an in‑person session during spring parent‑teacher conferences to share pathway options and that the district will explore promotion of summer trade‑exploration programs. The presentations and student proposals were described as part of ongoing efforts to increase exposure to both college and trade routes.
The board did not take a formal vote on new programs at the meeting; administration said items requiring action would return with more detail and potential budget impacts.
