Board approves Emtek change order, Interaction Media contract and a new middle-school CTE rotation

The Monongalia County Board of Education on May 13 approved several items tied to Emtek and career-technical education (CTE).

Superintendent and staff presented a Williams & Shriver change order for the Emtek expansion and recommended approval. The board also approved a contract with Interaction Media, supported by an Education Alliance grant, to produce media showcasing the district’s MedEd program (including pharm-tech) and future Emtek CTE offerings. Donna, who has worked on the MedEd program, described strong placement outcomes: "10 of those students have been hired by the university hospital," she said.

The board also approved creating a new 200-day itinerant middle-school teacher position housed at Emtek to run a Discover Your Future program for eighth graders. The program will transport eighth-grade students to Emtek for 90-minute weekly modules in roughly nine-week rotations. Staff said the district will prioritize no more than about five clusters (from 16 available CTE clusters) based on student interest, and the program is explicitly intended for exploration, not to place students on an early career track.

Board members questioned logistics including transportation, class sizes and whether Emtek teachers would lead middle-school sessions (district staff said Emtek staff will support but middle-school teachers and the new position will coordinate the modules). The board approved the change order, Interaction Media contract and the new position by voice vote.