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State board hears CTE report: 173,000 students enrolled and $100 million investment in facilities, superintendent notes Bessemer hiatus
Summary
During the Feb. 12 meeting the board heard a Career and Technical Education report citing more than 173,000 student enrollments, over 53,000 credentials in 2024–25, and a $100 million legislative investment in CTE facilities; Doctor Mackey also said the Bessemer City Board (under state intervention) will pause public meetings for several months.
Don Hawthorne, speaking during the Alabama State Board of Education’s Feb. 12 meeting, presented statewide Career and Technical Education data the board described as evidence of expanding workforce-aligned programs.
Hawthorne told the board that more than 173,000 Alabama students are currently enrolled in CTE programs and that figure represents “nearly 80%” of high school students in grades 9–12 participating in at least one CTE course. He said Alabama students earned more than 53,000 industry-recognized credentials during the 2024–25 school year and that, since 2020, more than 200,000 credentials have been awarded.
Hawthorne credited a legislative investment of $100,000,000 in CTE facilities for enabling grants and equipment purchases that expand local program capacity. He also reviewed the BePro Be Proud mobile workshop’s first-year activity, saying the initiative completed 42 tour stops through December 2025 and reached more than 10,000 students; Hawthorne said additional tour stops are planned for the current school year.
Doctor Mackey added a superintendent’s update during the meeting, reporting for the record that the Bessemer City Board of Education, which the transcript says is under state intervention, will take a “hiatus from public meetings for the next several months” while the district undergoes additional training; he said meetings are expected to resume in the summer but did not supply additional procedural details in the session.
"Currently in Alabama, we have more than 173,000 Alabama students enrolled in career and technical education programs," Don Hawthorne said during his presentation.
Next steps: the board will take up work-session items after the reconvened meeting, including a school counseling model that Mackey said has been in development and that staff will present for further board consideration.
