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District outlines CTE expansion, welding program funding and college partnerships
Summary
Administrators told trustees the district has active CTE partnerships (construction trades, electrical, welding, automotive, ProStart culinary and dual-credit courses), named student-enrollment counts for several programs, and said $33,000 is budgeted for welding this year plus an additional $75,000 grant to support CTE initiatives.
Pojoaque Valley Public Schools presented an update Sept. 24 on career and technical education programs and partnerships intended to expand students' postsecondary and workforce pathways.
Principal Cordova and district staff described partnerships with Northern New Mexico College to offer the MC3 construction trades program (12 students) and an electrical program (11 students). Welding was delayed to January after an instructor left; the district reported 20 students enrolled for welding when it starts. Automotive technology (through a community college partner) showed 19 students enrolled, and the ProStart culinary sequence had 51 enrollments. Dual-credit classes in marketing management, word processing and business computer applications were also reported, with enrollments in the 18–25 range depending on the course.
On costs and equipment, administration said some shop equipment and personal protective equipment (jackets, gloves) were outdated or insufficient and that the district budgeted about $33,000 in this year's CTE budget specifically for welding. The district also reported an additional CTE grant of $75,000 that can support program expansion across trades and equipment purchases.
Trustees raised follow-up questions about whether mill-levy dollars could be used for capital improvements tied to the branch-college district program and asked for clarity about how many fixed assets would remain with the district after collocated programs end. A board member urged careful accounting of mill-levy and state CTE funds to avoid double-funding the same assets.
Next steps: administration said welding equipment purchases and additional CTE purchases would be processed through the CTE budget and grant funds; the district plans to start the welding sequence in January with purchased materials and supplies in place.
