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Plano ISD’s new Career and Technical Education Center is on track to open this school year.
The center was approved as part of PISD’s 2022 bond and is expected to welcome students on Oct. 19, following the district’s spring break, PISD CTE Director Karen Buechman said.
The big picture
The CTE center, located at the corner of Alma Drive and Park Boulevard currently has 1,040 students enrolled, but Principal Jean Laswell said they anticipate 1,200 students in the fall.
The center will house 19 programs, broken up into the following nine pathways:
Buechman said that certain programs have aspects open to the public, including a Credit Union of Texas bank, the TONI&GUY hairdressing program and the Culinary Arts program’s restaurant.
“This is a building that is going to provide opportunities for our kids, but also services for our community,” she said.
The specifics
CTE classes will begin at Academy High School on Aug. 11 while the center finishes construction, Buechman said.
Buechman added that staff will use fall break to move equipment into the building after construction is substantially completed.
When open, Laswell said that most programs will require students to be at the CTE center for two class periods, with the exception of the TONI&GUY, EMT and entrepreneurship programs, which will require more on-campus time.
Transportation will be provided to students, but they can also drive themselves.
By the numbers
Buechman said that PISD’s CTE enrollment has grown since the inception of the center. In the 2020-21 school year, the district’s CTE enrollment was around 23,000, with 1,400 industry-based certifications awarded.
Last school year, the district’s CTE enrollment was around 27,000 students, and nearly 4,100 industry-based certifications were awarded.
