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Board accepts $25,000 donation to fund aviation simulators for high‑school CTE program
Summary
The board approved a $25,000 donation from First Interstate Bank to the Fund for Public Education to subsidize five flight simulators for Jacksonville High School; the airport board is underwriting the remaining ~ $60,000 and extended warranties for five years, with Kane Anderson named as the aviation instructor.
The Teton County School Board unanimously approved a $25,000 donation from First Interstate Bank on Oct. 8 to help fund five flight simulators for Jacksonville High School’s career technical education (CTE) aviation pathway.
District staff reported the total cost for five simulators is about $85,000. The airport board has committed to cover the remaining balance and to purchase extended warranties for hardware and software that will cover the program for five years, reducing ongoing district costs in the near term. Kane Anderson, the district’s engineering teacher who is being trained on the AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) curriculum, will teach the aviation course.
"The airport board has been tremendous partners in this," a district representative said, noting the airport board approved the initial expenditure and First Interstate Bank’s contribution will reduce the district’s outlay.
Staff told trustees extended warranties purchased by the airport board will remove the need for additional district funding for the next five years; the district will evaluate program effectiveness and funding needs after that period. Trustees discussed workforce demand in aviation and local career pathways; staff cited national projections that the sector will create large numbers of jobs in the next decade.
Next steps: staff will accept the donation, finalize procurement with the airport board and vendor, deploy the simulators in the high school CTE program, and report back to the board on program uptake and any future budget implications.
