District outlines career-academy plan, schedules May vote to move ninth graders

Mrs. Luffey, director of 9–12 education, presented a multi-year plan to reconfigure high-school programming into career academies and a ninth-grade academy at Cassius. She said the plan aims to give students cumulative, sequenced career instruction, internships and industry-recognized credentials and to broaden pathways (career academy, career tech, or foundational studies).

"In 2728, not next school year, but the following school year, the plan is that all ninth graders will go to Cassius for the ninth grade academy to experience 1 Trojan community," Luffey said, describing the freshman-academy model and cohort sizes. The plan targets roughly 480 students at each of Cassius and the Career Magnet School for academy programming and intends for career cohorts of about 120–150 students, with sub-cohorts of 20–25 for specific course sequences.

Board members asked about the selection of eight academies (based on workforce-development and ten-year job projections), representation of special education and ESL students, certification sourcing and whether internships would be paid. Administration said credentialing and internship terms will depend on industry partners; some credentials (for example, OSHA 10 in some agricultural partnerships) may be provided at no cost through partners.

Luffey requested board action on transfers and administrative regulations for updated graduation requirements; administration scheduled the board-level vote on the ninth-grade transition for the second meeting in May. Trustees asked administrators to ensure equitable representation of special-education and ESL students, and to provide further detail on teacher staffing, course sequencing and transfer protocols before formal approval.

No final vote occurred at the committee meeting; the board expects further information and a vote in May.