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CTE teachers ask Mathews County School Board for dedicated consumables line to prevent student fees and inequity
Summary
Two CTE instructors urged the Mathews County School Board to add a budget line for expendable materials, citing rising material costs, unequal access created by student fees, and limits on grants like Perkins to cover consumables.
Randy Applegate, of Matthews High School, told the Mathews County School Board on Dec. 17 that Career and Technical Education programs need a dedicated consumables line in the FY2025–26 budget to cover materials for hands-on classes and competitions. “We are spending about $10,000 a year just on carpentry,” Applegate said, arguing that relying on grants and student fees creates inequity and uncertainty for students who cannot afford projects.
An instructor who identified herself as Mrs. Williams described fundraising and donations that have kept Family and Consumer Sciences classes running but said those sources are no substitute for predictable support. “Each food lab costs anywhere from $100 to $400,” she said, adding that Perkins grants and other awards often cannot be used for expendable supplies and that one class lost roughly $775 in fees this year because fees were not collected.
Both speakers gave specific examples: Applegate said engineering costs about $100 per student annually, while carpentry projects can reach several hundred dollars per student; he also said a $125,000 grant for Building Trades could not be applied to consumable materials. Williams cited recurring costs for items such as aprons, polyfill for sewing projects and ingredients for culinary labs, and described community fundraising efforts including a Seahawk Café cart and FCCLA concessions that help offset but do not eliminate the gap.
Board members asked for a concrete proposed budget and for lists of consumable items and per-course estimates. Mr. Dobson and other members said they generally supported funding consumables while seeking a formal dollar request. The superintendent, Dr. Daniel, said staff will follow up with detailed slide data and work with advisers to provide concrete numbers for the board to consider during budget drafting.
The board did not adopt a formal motion during the work session; instead, members asked administration to return with cost estimates and a recommended approach for including consumables, possible stipends for teachers providing extra hours to run student organizations, and options to limit reliance on student fees.
Next steps: Dr. Daniel said the slide deck and supporting data will be posted to Board Docs and that administration will provide the board with a proposed budget figure to consider in January.
