Marysville Joint Unified board approves CTE grant applications for HVAC and electrical pathways

The Marysville Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees on Nov. 18 approved applications to the state’s Career Technical Education Facilities Program (CTEFP) to build new HVAC and electrical training pathways at Lyndhurst and Marysville high schools.

Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Bob Eckhart told trustees the district will submit a $6,000,000 request for an HVAC facility at Lyndhurst High School — $3,000,000 from the state and a required $3,000,000 local match — to create an approximately 8,000-square-foot lab and classroom space for hands-on HVAC training. “So this $6,000,000 grant that we are asking for, 3,000,000 would be the state… We have to match it with 3,000,000,” Eckhart said.

Eckhart said the HVAC pathway would aim to serve roughly 125 students annually at full scale across a four-year concentrator-to-capstone sequence and that graduates would earn industry-related credentials such as OSHA-10 and CPR; he noted students would still need postsecondary apprenticeship or trade-based training for full HVAC certification. Trustees asked how students would transition to industry credentials; Eckhart said the district will partner with local trade organizations and unions for job-shadowing and apprenticeship pathways.

Trustees also pressed for clarity on how the $3 million local match would be funded. The district’s chief business officer, Jen, said Fund 40 (capital outlay) holds about $8 million by memory and will receive additional state reimbursements and developer fees; she said projects could be prioritized or delayed to provide the required match. “We have currently around, going from memory, 8,000,000 in there and then we have another 8,000,000 coming in from the state,” Jen said, adding that not all Fund 40 projects are yet identified.

Eckhart presented a parallel request for a CTEFP application to establish an electrical trades pathway at Marysville High School, also structured as an 8,000-square-foot facility with the same 1:1 state-local match. He cited regional labor-market projections showing sustained openings for construction and trade jobs and said the district is working with regional partners on planning and design.

After discussion, the board voted to approve submission of both CTEFP applications. Trustees handled each item individually; motions to submit both applications passed by voice vote.

The meeting also included a series of personnel and labor items. Dr. Gabe Simon presented updates to the Board Policy 4000 series aligned with CSBA recommendations; the board approved those updates as well as a side letter with Operating Engineers Local 3 that moves an existing 2.5% bus driver compensation increase onto the salary schedule so it becomes pensionable. Trustees approved a targeted increase in substitute pay (an extra $25 for some retirees and rate bumps for frequent substitutes) and approved sunshining negotiation proposals for the Marysville Unified Teachers Association (MUTA). Most votes reported at the meeting were unanimous.

The board opened the meeting with announcements of closed-session actions: trustees announced unanimous closed-session votes approving a resolution authorizing the release of a temporary certificated employee and multiple student discipline actions (case numbers read during the announcement). Members also heard presentations from school site representatives and a lengthy Marysville High School FFA presentation highlighting student leadership, supervised agricultural experience requirements and competitive awards.

The district plans to submit the CTEFP HVAC application on Dec. 1, according to the presentation. The board set its next regular meeting for Dec. 9, 2025, and adjourned.