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District outlines expansion of CTE pathways and recent grant funding
Summary
At the June 12 meeting the committee heard a detailed CTE briefing on current and planned pathways (including biomedical engineering, culinary arts, construction engineering and AI partnerships), grant eligibility rules and FY'25 grant receipts (noted $116,705) and reserve funding used for middle‑high visits ($7,000).
Smithfield administrators briefed the School Committee June 12 on the district’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, planned pathway expansions and grant funding sources.
The presenter (speaker 5) described CTE program roles — participants, concentrators and completers — and said current high‑school pathways include business and finance, computer science/cybersecurity, law/public policy and teacher preparation. New programs planned for the coming years include biomedical engineering, culinary arts, construction engineering and exploratory work on artificial intelligence in partnership with Bryant University’s AI lab.
On funding, the presenter said the district brought in $116,705 in FY'25 in CTE‑designated grant dollars and used a $7,000 reserve to fund middle‑to‑high‑school transportation and teacher professional learning. “There’s 3, 2 different levels, state and federal, funding available for CTE,” the presenter said while describing allowable uses such as equipment purchases, professional development and, in some grants, partial staffing support.
Committee members asked whether proposed pathways would require facility changes. The presenter said most planned programs do not require capital renovations except culinary, which needs a specific space; equipment and staffing requirements are driven by state CTE standards and RIDE approval. Committee members also requested year‑over‑year comparisons and ongoing data to show trends in participation, completion and out‑of‑district tuition flows.
Next steps: the administration will continue RIDE approval processes for new pathways, monitor enrollment, and supply the committee with historical and comparative CTE data.
