Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Innovation Zones topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
PED presents Innovation Zones framework; Santa Rosa shows gains, urges recurring funding
Summary
The Public Education Department outlined the Innovation Zones framework—graduate profiles, CTE, work‑based learning and capstone projects—while Santa Rosa district leaders presented a case study of improved attendance and engagement and urged sustained multi‑year funding and evaluation rubrics.
Deputy secretary (College and Career Readiness Bureau) described Innovation Zones as a framework that intentionally combines graduate profiles, career technical education (CTE), work‑based learning, capstone projects and social‑emotional supports to create career‑connected learning ecosystems in secondary schools.
PED said Innovation Zones began in 2019 as a pilot and since FY23 has included set‑aside appropriations; the FY24–25 minimum award was $100,000. PED reported 51 participating schools and highlighted statewide examples: Las Montanas Charter (Las Cruces), Alamogordo (agriculture/entrepreneurship), Hobbs (energy/manufacturing), Mescalero Apache (postsecondary readiness) and Health Leadership High School (Albuquerque). PED stated that in 2023–24 about 22,449 students participated in career‑connected learning and internships (a 324% increase in internships from year one) and that qualitative responses indicate strong student support for capstones and work‑based learning.
Superintendent Madrid and Principal Sharon West presented Santa Rosa’s implementation. Madrid described creative staffing (part‑time industry hires who coach and teach a few periods) and the district’s concern about sustainability given rural enrollment declines; he urged recurring funding rather than single‑year allocations. West described building a graduate profile, reorganizing master schedules so freshmen rotate through multiple career pathways, and using a campus daycare as an incubator to sustain education internships and develop teacher candidates. West said the changes produced higher attendance, greater student engagement and improved readiness—she reported that 29 freshman students moved into algebra after a targeted pre‑algebra intervention tied to career projects.
Committee members asked whether districts can run internships without a PED‑approved vendor; PED said some districts do run internships outside the Innovation Zone framework but that Innovation Zones typically coordinate with approved partners. The committee also discussed the LevelAll platform (a Next Step planning and advising pilot), plans to create a common capstone rubric and the PED proposal to move toward three‑year recurring awards so schools can align strategic plans and budgets.
Legislators debated whether Innovation Zones simply repackages long‑running CTE efforts or represents a distinct, integrated model; presenters said Innovation Zones add permission and structure to align academics, CTE and social‑emotional supports. Lawmakers urged clearer evaluation metrics and recurring funding to scale successful practices. Santa Rosa stakeholders asked for flexibility and scalable funding options for small rural districts. No formal appropriation or rule change occurred in the session.
