Eastpointe board hears three-year CTE plan backed by roughly $500,000 Prime grant

Principal Todd Yar presented a three‑year strategic plan May 11 to expand career and technical education (CTE) at Eastpointe Community Schools, saying the district will add new pathways, strengthen industry partnerships and expand dual‑enrollment options.

Yar said current CTE offerings include business and marketing, culinary arts and public safety and that the district plans to introduce mechatronics and robotics as an elective next year. He described a partnership with South Lake to provide automotive technology and a dual‑enrollment agreement with Mcome Community College for HVAC and welding; five Eastpointe students have been accepted into welding so far, Yar said. He also said Prime — described in the presentation as a grant partner — is committing about a half million dollars to cover equipment, staff training and industry advisory support.

The presentation outlined an exploratory model beginning in eighth grade (10‑week rotations), a 9th‑grade career awareness year, and progressively more intensive two‑period CTE blocks in grades 11–12 leading to certificates and capstone experiences. Yar emphasized that the district intends all students to leave high school with a post‑secondary plan and said the program is meant to support college, military and trade pathways.

Trustees asked several implementation questions during a follow‑up exchange. Board members pressed administration about transportation for students who would travel to off‑site dual‑enrollment classes and whether supports such as tutoring would be available to help students pass college‑level coursework. Yar and district staff said transportation options, including additional vans, were under discussion and that the MISD and Mcome Community College would provide wraparound supports; they said only a small number of seats (about 20 per new MCC program countywide) are currently available.

Board members also asked about a military program referenced repeatedly in the meeting as "JOTC." Yar said the district had state approval for the program two years ago but has not been able to hire a qualified instructor (the program requires specified military‑experienced staff), so JOTC remains on the district’s long‑term list of options rather than an immediate launch. The district described Prime’s funding as a constraint on expanding every possible pathway simultaneously and said it will focus first on the pathways funded and supported in the grant.

Yar described workforce demand as a driver: the presentation cited a community survey and asserted a large increase in local job openings in the targeted manufacturing/robotics sector. The district said students in CTE pathways will be eligible for industry certifications and college credit prior to graduation and that advisory boards and employer partnerships will be pivotal to placing students in internships and co‑ops.

Administration said the first year will focus on pilot programs and solidifying counseling, curriculum and scheduling; the district expects to roll out course sequences such that by year three CTE is embedded in daily instruction and students graduate with documented credentials. The board did not take a formal vote on the plan at the meeting; trustees offered broad support and asked staff to continue developing logistics and partnership agreements.