A Vernon Hills High School senior told the CHSD 128 Board on Nov. 17 that a recent curricular shift to Project Lead The Way (PLTW) has reduced opportunities for students seeking engineering pathways.

"The current engineering curriculum is insufficient, and the Project Lead The Way is a clear step down from our engineering system in the past," Pax Machaitis said in public comment, describing PLTW as "far less efficient at teaching people about engineering" and saying the district "spent $30,000 on this program and got rid of 3 classes, including electronics." He added that PLTW "offers no upward mobility" for students who take it as freshmen.

Machaitis said he volunteered as a teacher's assistant in the engineering classroom to help sustain student interest and recommended the board either reinstate the former multi-course sequence (electronics, Introduction to Engineering Design, and Advanced Design Drawing) or give teachers greater discretion to offer follow-on coursework and advanced instruction.

No district staff rebutted or confirmed the $30,000 figure during the public comment period; the student prefaced that cost figure as "I've been told." Board members thanked Machaitis for his remarks and moved on to the next items on the agenda.

Context: The change to PLTW and the consolidation of engineering offerings were raised only in this public comment; the board's agenda includes course proposals and revisions approved later in the meeting, which were discussed in personnel committee meetings earlier in the month.