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Vashon schools spotlight CTE expansion and first off-island Maritime Skill Center seats
Summary
Assistant Principal and CTE Director Sabrina Kovage said Vashon Island High School offers 18 active CTE programs across 10 clusters, reported a 17% enrollment increase since 2021, and announced an inaugural partnership that guarantees eight to 11 seats at the new Maritime Skill Center (Maritime 253) in Tacoma.
Sabrina Kovage, assistant principal and the district's CTE director, presented the annual Career and Technical Education report, highlighting program breadth, enrollment trends and a new off-island partnership in the maritime trades.
Kovage said the district runs 18 active CTE programs spanning 10 career clusters and that CTE participation is associated with higher graduation rates and better employment outcomes. She noted that program-enrollment counts double-count students who take multiple classes (explaining figures like 852 program enrollments at the high school). Kovage said district CTE enrollment is up 17% since 2021 but flagged structural enrollment drops where courses were discontinued.
Maritime partnership: Kovage and staff described a new Maritime Skill Center in Tacoma (Maritime 253) that begins this fall and includes four pathways (boat building/manufacturing, logistics/transportation systems, technology/sustainability and others). Vashon has guaranteed seats (reported in discussion as between eight and 11) and a superintendent seat on the governing board; early admissions show four students accepted for next year. Administrators and staff noted logistical work remains (ferry timing and routes), but Tacoma will provide bus pickup from the ferry landing to the skill center.
Program gaps and priorities: Kovage highlighted declines in marine biology enrollment and pronounced gender imbalances in some programs (woodworking was cited as roughly 86% male). She urged the board to include CTE facilities and dedicated spaces in bond/levy planning and to ensure CTE-designated funds are protected and the CTE director remains central to capital decisions.
Funding note: Kovage said the district historically has not pursued Perkins federal funding because the overhead was large relative to likely awards for a district this size (she estimated the district might receive $8,000–$10,000 annually if it pursued Perkins). She suggested new data-management platforms might reduce the administrative burden in future years.
Next steps: The board asked staff to track Maritime seat usage and student satisfaction, explore ways to bolster the STEM pipeline and examine strategies to close gender gaps and revitalize marine biology enrollment.
Quote: "CTE is all about preparing kids for after high school," Kovage said. "We want to build on the maritime foundation and close our STEM pipeline."
