Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Cte topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Student advisory council urges expansion of CTE options and financial literacy pathway
Summary
San Marino Unified trustees heard findings from a student advisory council showing strong student interest in career technical education—especially culinary—and recommended districtwide surveying and a proposed financial‑literacy pathway from TK–12 to inform program expansion and facilities planning.
San Marino Unified School District trustees on June 8 reviewed research conducted by about 30 students on career technical education, grading reform, food services and facilities. Superintendent Dr. Linda Deator said the student research team collected qualitative and quantitative feedback and concluded that CTE courses are “important to students” and “most students rated [CTE] an eight out of a 10.”
Deator told the board the students identified top-performing courses as Intro to Business and Media Arts and that, of 75 respondents in the SSAC sample, 18 “reported that they would like a CTE course that involves culinary.” The students also recommended summer acceleration offerings and improvements to course engagement and project design.
The superintendent and staff cautioned the board that the SSAC exercise used volunteer respondents and peer networks, which introduced sampling bias. Deator said the district will run a districtwide survey that reaches the full parent and student population and will disaggregate results by grade to validate student advisory findings before committing resources.
Why it matters: student‑driven research is informing potential program expansion at San Marino High School and the district’s facilities master plan. Trustees noted culinary and health‑care pathways as high‑student interest areas that could affect future classroom and kitchen design, internship opportunities and CTE staffing needs.
What the district will do next: staff will deliver the full SSAC presentations to the board, conduct a representative district survey for students and parents, and report back with disaggregated data and recommended next steps for CTE pathways and a proposed K–12 financial‑literacy sequence that Deator said she and staff are exploring with local financial institutions.
The board also heard that students asked for more input into food services and campus facilities; administration said some requests run into regulatory limits for school nutrition programs but that student involvement in menu planning and theater renovations are actionable priorities.
Deator closed the segment by stressing that student voice will continue to guide curricular and facilities decisions: “where we’ve been, where we are in order for you to decide where we need to go in the future,” she said. The board will consider SSAC materials and the districtwide survey results when it finalizes its 2026–27 goals.
