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Region 20 and Uvalde ISD outline options as CTE dual-credit welding raises alignment, scheduling challenges
Summary
Region 20 staff and Uvalde ISD presented options to address misalignment between high-school Ag pathways and college WECM dual-credit requirements; possible remedies include modified schedules, additional instructor time, or moving welding into the manufacturing pathway. Trustees pressed for phased transitions and protections for FFA participation.
Region 20 and district staff told the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustees that some high-school agricultural (Ag) courses do not fully align with the higher-education Workforce Education Course Manual (WECM), which complicates offering welding as a dual-credit option without additional scheduling or staffing changes.
A Region 20 CTE representative, identified in the meeting as the CTE point of contact for Region 20, said the office's role is to crosswalk TEKS and WECM to help districts align high-school courses to college expectations. The presenter said Uvalde ISD asked for help aligning welding and AgMEC courses to the college pathway and found "misalignment with some of the TEKS that are currently aligned with your agriculture mechanical ag mech courses, and that are more strongly related to the manufacturing welding pathway."
District staff described two operational options. Option 1 would keep dual-credit in place but require additional instructional minutes or modified schedules (adding before-school, after-school or extended days) to reach the required contact hours for the college; presenters produced contact-minute calculations showing that some students could require dozens of extra days to meet 100% of TEKS coverage. Option 2 would remove dual-credit from 9th grade and reorganize block scheduling so students could complete required contact minutes later in high school, reducing the need for before/after-school time but changing course sequencing.
Trustees raised concerns about student impacts, particularly FFA eligibility and opportunities to participate in stock-show events. A trustee asked whether students would still be able to earn the AWS D9.1 certification and participate in FFA if welding were moved out of ag; Region 20/district staff said the IBC/AWS certifications can be earned regardless of whether the district offers dual-credit, but that moving welding could affect students' day-to-day course experiences unless phased transitions and additional staffing are provided.
Staff said the district currently has one instructor who could be accredited by the college (accreditation pending) and that finding "diamonds in the rough" — teachers able to combine industry experience with classroom instruction — is challenging. Trustees discussed phasing out cohorts and seeking qualified instructors; one trustee said an ag welding teacher from another district is interested in coming to Uvalde.
District officials said they will continue conversations with Region 20 and the college to refine options and find solutions that preserve student access to certifications and FFA participation while meeting TEA and IHE requirements.
Next steps: Staff will continue alignment work, wait for IHE accreditation of local instructors, and explore scheduling/staffing options; no formal policy change was adopted at this meeting.
