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Marin County Office of Education outlines CTE expansion to Novato, cites state grants and new partnerships
Summary
MCOE staff described plans to expand career and technical education into Novato High, roll out 12 summer career academies serving about 350 students, and distribute more than $2.5 million in recent statewide CTE grants across the county.
Marin County Office of Education staff told trustees that the county’s College & Career Readiness (CCR) program will expand several CTE offerings into Novato and increase countywide CTE capacity.
Jesse Mattson, who led the presentation, said the plan includes launching fall classes at Novato High using an existing covered workspace, with a second phase to build a larger covered workspace in spring 2028. He told the board the team expects to run 12 summer career academies this year serving roughly 350 students and is scheduling a job‑shadow day on April 23.
Courtney Vanessa, a CCR special projects manager, described the school‑to‑career liaisons that connect students with internships, job shadows and industry panels. “My name is Courtney Vanessa, and I am a special projects manager here in the CCR department,” she said while outlining on‑campus internship supports and liaison work.
Presenters also reviewed recent grant awards to support the expansion. “So in total, it’s it’s a little over 2,500,000 coming into the county for this fiscal year,” Mattson said, noting that the awards include a mix of the Career Technical Education Incentive Grant and the K‑12 Strong Workforce Program, plus local funding for a K‑12 pathway coordinator position. Staff said roughly a million dollars of the total will be used directly by the county office to support program coordination and countywide distribution.
Trustees asked about tracking student outcomes after graduation and access to union apprenticeships. Mattson said the team is building follow‑up metrics and exploring pre‑apprenticeship pathways and partnerships that could reduce barriers to trades careers. Staff also noted a private partner is funding expansion of an evening car appreciation and preservation course and that organizers are recruiting instructors for the expanded Novato offerings.
The presentation included speakers from multiple program areas — dual enrollment and articulation, ROP/ROP classes, and construction and auto trades — and trustees praised the diversity of pathways and the program’s outreach work to rural and historically underserved parts of the county.
