Student and teacher speakers urge board to keep small‑animal and guide‑dog CTE pathway after district move to cut it

Charlie Beck, a senior at Innovations High School, told the Salt Lake City School District Board of Education on March 3 that students in the animal‑science CTE pathway would lose more than technical training if the district ends the program. "We received the email that the district has decided to shut down the program because it doesn't directly lead into a high demand career," Beck said, adding that the classes teach communication, problem solving and resilience.

Beck said the program includes a guide‑dog training class that has allowed students to raise and train guide dogs for the blind. "These classes give you the skills to tackle the real world," he said, urging the board to weigh the educational and community value, not only workforce alignment.

That plea followed public testimony by Ry Pickle, a West High School teacher, who linked program cuts to broader staffing reductions at West High. Pickle said the school lost "10 and a half teachers this year with eight and a half FTE being cut," describing a change from 92.5 FTE in 2020–21 to a projected 77.5 FTE in 2026–27. "This is a 16% decrease in staff over just a few years," Pickle said, and asked the board to examine why West was cut at a much higher percentage than other comprehensive high schools.

Board members thanked both speakers and acknowledged a district review of staffing, graduation venues and capital projects elsewhere on the agenda. The board offered no immediate reversal of the district's CTE decision during the meeting; staff and board members noted state funding and budget tradeoffs were drivers of recent cuts.

What happens next: the board will consider public feedback as it proceeds through upcoming budget and capital discussions; item 7 from the consent agenda (a Safe Schools case) was moved to the action agenda for separate consideration later in the meeting.