The big picture
Assistant Superintendent Kelly Kovacs called the district’s CTE program “very successful” and said students can walk away from high school with experience and certifications. Out of 16 programs of study, agriculture has the highest enrollment with 1,713 students, and needs started there with updates to the agricultural barn.
Needs at the barn, which is used by students at Byron P. Steele II and Samuel Clemens high schools, include fencing, pen replacement, additional heaters and a canopy replacement. Students and animals weren’t the only things the department honed in on at the complex; officials also asked for added family parking.
“When families come to feed their animals, take care of their animals, you might notice ... it’s all fire lane, essentially, so we do need to add a little parking area for [families],” Kovacs said.
Also important to the agriculture program is vehicle replacement, such as trailers that students use to transport livestock to various shows, which Kovacs noted wear out over time. Early estimates for total CTE equipment costs across the district would be roughly $8.3 million, as reported by Community Impact in January.
What else?
To keep students invested in CTE, the department also mentioned startup costs for additional programs to bolster the 16 offered, which also includes business management and administration, as well as health science.
“If you think about engine mechanics, that’s a great program,” Kovacs said. “We would love to have it, but it’s very expensive, so [we need] money to start that.”
The department is also thinking about burgeoning industries, asking for a potential esports gaming environment. The professional video game industry, Kovacs said, is one that has “big money these days” with students earning scholarships for the craft.
