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San Bernardino City Unified praises CTE gains and secures county pathway for graduates
Summary
District staff reported rising CTE outcomes — 12 gold pathways, registered pre-apprenticeships, and an alignment with San Bernardino County enabling qualifying students to apply for county jobs directly after graduation. Board members raised access and certification concerns.
San Bernardino City Unified School District officials showcased substantial gains in career technical education on April 14, highlighting new partnerships that connect students to industry and local government jobs.
At a board special presentation, Anna Applegate and district CTE leaders reported that 12 district pathways have achieved Link Learning —gold— recognition and 21 have reached silver status. Dr. Venitessan told the board that the district's class of 2025 cohort of 3,187 posted a 93.7% graduation rate and that districtwide college-and-career readiness rose into the green with 50.2% of students classified as prepared in 2025.
Chelsea Ramirez, the district's coordinator of workforce development, described more than 3,000 work-based learning experiences this year, registration of the district's pre-apprenticeship programs with DAS, and expansion of industry certifications. Ramirez also outlined a new agreement with county HR and workforce directors that aligns CTE pathway completion with prior-work-experience requirements for county jobs; district students who complete approved pathways will be eligible to apply for county positions starting in June 2026 and could begin in August 2026.
Board members congratulated staff on the metrics but pressed for implementation details. Mrs. Alexander asked how the district manages certification expiration and recredentialing; Ramirez said teachers counsel students on maintaining personal contact accounts and notification options and that pathways include dual-enrollment or articulation to preserve college credit. Mr. Tilman and other board members raised concerns about equitable access, urging more paid internships and steps to ensure students without personal connections still gain opportunities.
District staff said pathway enrollment and completion are tracked each semester by program specialists who coordinate with site administrators and that low-enrollment programs were strategically consolidated from over 50 to 45 pathways to strengthen sustainability. The presentation also proposed exploring an aviation pathway; staff said the district will return with additional information if the board directs further study.
The board did not take formal new policy actions at the meeting but asked staff for a Friday update on next steps and sided with staff on continuing to expand industry partnerships and outreach to increase equitable access.
The presentation and Q&A closed with invitations for board members to join the district's showcase at the Link Learning conference in October and with staff reiterating county partnership timelines for student applications in June 2026.
