Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Cte topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
CTE director outlines shift in work‑based learning; general work‑experience program to be dissolved
Summary
The district’s CTE director told trustees that changes in state rules and enrollment declines prompted a decision to dissolve the standalone general work‑experience program and redeploy teachers; staff described efforts to expand paid internships, reported 755 work permits issued last year and said the district will handle work permits through high‑school career centers.
Stockton Unified’s director of career technical education told the board the district is refocusing work‑based learning toward program‑aligned internships and paid opportunities and away from a declining general work‑experience program.
Nathan Haley said legislative changes—chiefly fingerprinting requirements and more frequent job‑site visits—created operational challenges for general work‑experience. Enrollment in general work experience fell over recent years (the presentation showed a downward trend from 87 students in 2021 to lower counts last year), and the district concluded it could more effectively use staff and resources by moving the four certificated staff tied to that program back into classroom or pathway roles.
Haley said the state recognizes three types of work experience (exploratory, career technical and general) and that the district will prioritize internships tied to CTE pathways and expand paid internships where possible. He cited examples of paid summer internships that resulted in hires at Community Medical Center and other local employers and said the district processed 755 work permits last year districtwide.
Trustees expressed concern about students who rely on employment for family support and asked whether changes could limit their opportunities. Haley and other administrators said the district is not preventing students from working—work permits are still available and students 16 and older can work up to about 36 hours per week under current rules—and that the high‑school career centers will process permits and provide supports and FAQs to students and families.
The board received the presentation as informational; staff said they would publish an excerpt of the meeting for students and post FAQs on the CTE pathway website to explain the changes and permit process.
