Board discusses expanding CTE access, buses and regional options to reduce wait lists
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Summary
CTE supervisor Adam Tolley told the board the district will use carryover blueprint funds to bus eighth graders to CTE programs, add materials to middle schools, and explore regional partnerships with Chesapeake College to ease trade‑program wait lists.
The board discussed steps to expand access to career and technical education (CTE) programs after multiple schools reported students being unable to see or enroll in trades pathways. Adam Tolley, the district's supervisor of CTE, said the district identified funding to bus eighth graders to CTE facilities this winter and will use career coaches and 'career tree' displays at middle schools to increase awareness of high‑school pathways.
Tolley described trade programs as capacity‑constrained — roughly 36 slots in a two‑year sequence for some programs — and said the district uses a lottery and wait‑list system for fairness. He told the board that additional buses have been added to recent trips and the district will add more transportation as funding allows so fewer students are turned away.
Board members raised a broader question about building a regional technical center. Tolley and other staff noted ongoing discussions with Chesapeake College and county commissioners about a regional facility and confirmed that the college project could supplement but not fully replace the district's own capital plans. The board said it will monitor the Chesapeake College discussions and consider whether to pursue a local facility or continued partnerships to expand capacity.
Tolley said the near‑term action is to complete eighth‑grade tours in late January/February so students choose programs in time for ninth‑ and tenth‑grade scheduling, and to continue using blueprint funds and career coaches to increase equitable access.
