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Yakima School District highlights expansion of career and technical education, reports high dual‑credit participation
Summary
Bonnie Smith told the Yakima School Board the district uses local labor-market data to guide Career and Technical Education (CTE) programming and reported that district materials show 80% of high‑school students participate in at least one dual‑credit option; staff outlined new courses, industry credentials and planned program expansions.
Bonnie Smith, director of Career and Technical Education for the Yakima School District, told the school board on March 30 that the district is aligning CTE programs to local employer demand and expanding pathways that let students earn college credit and industry credentials at no cost to families.
Smith said the district combines county, regional and statewide employment data with student surveys and school‑level planning to choose programs. “Every new CTE program we've launched was selected because it connects directly to employer demand now and into the future,” she told the board.
The presentation listed specific programs at district high schools and YBT Tech skill centers, including agriculture and artificial intelligence at Davis High School, welding and fabrication at Stanton Academy, esports and anatomy at Eisenhower, and financial math and business communications through Yakima Online. Smith said many courses articulate with Yakima Valley College and are intended to create a clear pathway from classroom to local jobs. She summarized district materials that show 80% of Yakima School District high‑school students participate in at least one of five dual‑credit programs and that 68% of students earn college credit through career and technical education courses linked with Yakima Valley College.
CTE staff emphasized industry‑recognized credentials embedded in coursework — examples cited included food handler permits, OSHA 10 safety certificates, paraeducator certification and transportation flagger certification — and described how credentials can “stack” to advance students from foundational to specialized qualifications.
During board questions, staff agreed to provide an updated estimate of tuition savings for families — a figure board members said would be helpful ahead of the bond election outreach. Presenters also said they will add a second electrician program at the district tech center after describing a waiting list that grew from 212 to 278, and that a feasibility study for an HVAC trade program is under way. Gabe Stoz and Nicole Bass described plans for an AI course that will address AI safety and ethics, and said esports programs are being designed to connect middle‑school engagement to high‑school equivalencies in math, ELA and art.
The presentation closed with staff noting that most industry credentials and dual‑credit opportunities are provided at no cost to families and are intended to increase students’ employability and college readiness.
The board did not take formal action on program changes at the March 30 meeting; staff said they would return updated cost‑savings figures and feasibility results as they become available.
