Several C.O. schools among recipients of state career readiness grants totaling $7.3 million
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – Nearly 150 Oregon middle schools and high schools serving more than 66,000 students, including several in Central Oregon, have secured career readiness grants totaling more than $7.3 million, Oregon Department of Education Director Colt Gill and Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle announced Wednesday.
The CTE Revitalization Grant funds from State of Oregon will serve diverse communities around the state, with programs focused on advanced manufacturing, engineering, agricultural science, app development, robotics, tourism, forestry, home renovation and health care.
“It’s been just great to see schools and students embrace these opportunities to learn real-world, hands on skills they will carry into the future,” said Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle. “It’s important that all students, no matter where they live get to experience unique CTE opportunities. There is no one way students learn or one path to success.”
In total, the 54 grants help to create or expand Career and Technical Education programs focused on high-wage, high-skill and in-demand fields such as Health Care, Manufacturing and Construction. The relationships these programs establish in their local and regional areas will provide valuable access to experience, expertise and additional forms of support to help programs provide relevant education and preparation for career and postsecondary learning experiences.
“Now more than ever, helping students prepare for the shift to college, career, and beyond is critical,” said Oregon Department of Education Director Colt Gill. “It is exciting to see the expansion of critical programs that align to high-need and high-wage opportunities. We’ve seen the power of CTE to support learner success and economic vitality, and we’re ready for more.”
Students who pass CTE courses graduate at higher rates, when compared to the general student population. According to 2020-2021 school year figures, CTE concentrators (across all student populations) graduated at a 92.9% rate, 12.3 percentage points higher than the state as a whole.
In 2011, the Oregon Legislature established a competitive grant program entitled the CTE Revitalization Grant, which strengthens the alignment of Career and Technical Education, workforce development and economic development. In July 2015, Governor Kate Brown signed House Bill 3072 and HB 5016, authorizing $9 million for the Oregon Department of Education to continue the CTE Revitalization Grant program. During the 2021 legislative session, $7.3 million was allocated for CTE Revitalization.
The CTE Revitalization Advisory Committee–comprising representatives from organized labor, trade organizations, education and Oregon’s business, labor, industry and trades communities—reviewed 64 applications totaling $8.7 million in requests. The committee prioritized applications based on geographic diversity, community partnerships and programs that lead to high-wage, in-demand occupations, especially for historically and currently marginalized students.
The Oregon Department of Education and Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) jointly appoint the Career and Technical Education Revitalization Advisory Committee. Additional information on grant criteria and additional summaries of the projects selected for this round of funding can be found on the CTE Revitalization Grant web page.
They include:
Culver School District (Jefferson County)
Culver School District STEM Farm and Skills Hub Academy
Project Director: Brad Kudlac bkudlac@culver.k12.or.us
CTE Revitalization Grant: $125,000
Culver School District will implement a K-12 STEM Farm Program while developing a Skills Hub Academy over the next five years. Working with community partners, the small rural school district will work with local community partners to create an onsite farm while enhancing and developing district property that is managed and operated by the school students. The farm is to be used by all grades for various lessons and integrates with Culver’s K-12 STEM program. Students are fully in charge with the management and implementation of the program with the mission of learning how to make the farm profitable. Additionally, the farm will be designed and operated to work within the constraints and challenges currently facing local farms, and developing lifelong skills for future employment. Students will design and operate the farm to be successful in today’s current challenges including drought, lack of land, and price fluctuations. Using next-gen technology and management, the students will model for local farmers how to successfully operate and manage a farm while gaining skills within the construction trades.
J Bar J Youth Services (Deschutes County)
J Bar J Youth Services Vocational Education Program
Project Director: Crystal Mooney cmooney@jbarj.org
CTE Revitalization Grant: $125,000
This proposal is submitted on behalf of the High Desert Education Service District (HDESD), in collaboration with J Bar J Youth Services (JBJYS), a 501 © (3) nonprofit corporation founded in 1967 and contracted with Oregon Youth Authority to work with juvenile offenders. JBJYS provides youth/students with the opportunity to restructure thinking, succeed academically, grow in responsibility, and become productive citizens. The on-site Vocational Education Program (VOC) provides career exploration and skills development services that will lead to sustainable living work opportunities for students. The program offers historically marginalized and adjudicated males, ages 13-21, opportunities they would not otherwise have.
Jefferson County School District (Jefferson County)
Revitalizing Youth in Jefferson County through CTE
Project Director: Jason Weeks Jweeks@509j.net
CTE Revitalization Grant: $125,000
The new Automotive Technology Program offers alternative education options for high school youth who are discounted and underserved in Jefferson County. The program—a partnership between the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs (WS) and Jefferson County School District (JCSD)—utilizes the WS Motor Pool as its lab, and provides students with a pathway for career and college readiness through a partnership with Central Oregon Community College (COCC).
Serving 2,830 students, JCSD has the highest percentage of American Indian (AI) youth in Oregon, with 36% AI, 31% Latino, 30% White, and 3% other. While this project serves all youth, 1,021 AI students face significant in-school and out-of-school barriers that impact their educational success.
The program will provide basic automotive services to WS. This CTE program will prepare students to fill talent shortages, provide engaging alternative education options for marginalized students, and offer a pathway for career and college readiness through a partnership with the local community college.
Marshall High School (Deschutes County)
The BTA Bus—Enhancing Transportation Access to Community Partners for Enhanced Future Readiness
Project Director: Sal Cassaro sal.cassaro@bend.k12.or.us
CTE Revitalization Grant: $108,276
Bend Tech Academy (BTA) at Marshall High School now features four engaging and fully accredited Academies that make sense for Central Oregon: 1) Construction, 2) Medical/Health, 3) Business Leadership, and 4) STEM/Engineering. The academy structure ensures every student who graduates is Future Ready and prepared for both college and career success in a high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand occupation. The four Programs of Study effectively connect students with teachers, peers, and community partners to give them a variety of learning opportunities, high engagement experiences, and the chance to build lasting relationships. Since this transition from an alternative school to a choice option started three years ago, the school culture has changed markedly with significant improvements in academic performance, attendance, graduation rates and numbers/percentage of seniors applying to college. This project seeks to take the four Academies to the next level by acquiring a 14-passenger bus and paying for related training of BTA staff (to become drivers) to increase engagement with community partners and providing more hands-on experiences through work-based learning experiences.
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2021-23 CTE Revitalization Grant Recipients
| District/School/ESD | Project Name | Award Amount |
| Athena-Weston SD | Athena Weston Food Science CTE POS Start-Up | $125,000 |
| Baker SD | Baker SD Computer Science Pathway Proposal | $116,250 |
| Bethel SD | Kalapuya YouthBuild Construction CTE Project | $125,000 |
| Bonanza HS | Bonanza CTE Production Room | $17,465 |
| Camas Valley SD | Start-Up for Agribusiness and Forestry | $125,000 |
| Central SD | Central HS Greenhouse Revit Project | $124,992 |
| Clackamas Academy of Industrial Sciences | Equitable Access to High Quality CTE Programs of Study | $124,285 |
| Columbia Gorge ESD | Diversifying Access to High Tech in the Columbia Gorge | $212,446 |
| Corbett SD | CTE Classroom Expansion | $125,000 |
| Cottage Grove HS | South Lane Advanced Manufacturing for Cottage Grove Youth | $124,240 |
| Cove HS | Cove CTE Revitalization Grant | $125,000 |
| Creswell SD | Creswell HS Construction and Manufacturing Technology Expansion | $125,000 |
| Culver SD | Culver SD STEM Farm and Skills Hub Academy | $125,000 |
| Dayton SD | Reimagining Dayton HS WBL Opportunities | $125,000 |
| Dufur SD | Dufur School District Ranger TECH Program | $125,000 |
| EagleRidge HS | Manufacturing Engineering Technology Program of Study | $125,000 |
| Elgin SD | Smarter Production Through Technology | $250,000 |
| Glide SD | Glide Ag Sciences and Technology Program Revitalization | $125,000 |
| Harney Union High SD | Crane Schools Mill Project | $250,000 |
| Helix SD | Helix Construction CTE POS Start-Up New Project | $63,898 |
| J Bar J Youth Services | JBJYS Vocational Education Program | $125,000 |
| Jefferson County SD | Revitalizing Youth in Jefferson Cnty Through CTE | $125,000 |
| Junction City HS | Digital Arts—Media & Publication | $125,000 |
| Kings Valley Charter School | Barn Classroom Complex | $125,000 |
| Klamath County SD | Designing Communication Collaboration and Student Success—Digital Media Arts | $125,000 |
| Klamath Union HS | Digital Media—Live Broadcasting | $124,259 |
| La Grande SD | Scaling Up to Home Construction | $125,000 |
| Lane ESD—Construction | Constructing a Brighter Future | $245,858 |
| Lane ESD—Health Science | Lane Health Science Hub | $219,568 |
| Lincoln City Career Technical HS | You Can Fly—A New Aviation Career Pathway for Rural Oregon Students | $125,000 |
| Lost River Jr/Sr HS | Making the Best Better at Lost River | $125,000 |
| Marcola SD | Mohawk Ag Institute & CTE Program Enhancement | $125,000 |
| Marshall HS | The BTA Bus: Enhancing Transportation Access to Community Partners | $108,276 |
| Multnomah ESD | High Wage Careers for Incarcerated Youth | $125,000 |
| Neah-Kah-Nie SD | Neah-Kah-Nie SD Construction Trades Classroom | $125,000 |
| Nestucca Valley SD | Nestucca Valley Hospitality and Leisure | $148,236 |
| Oregon Trail SD | Scale Up at SHS | $125,000 |
| Pine Eagle Charter School | Utilities in Building Trades | $125,000 |
| Santiam Jr/Sr HS | Santiam Canyon CTE Shop Expansion/Workspace | $125,000 |
| Sheridan AllPrep Academy | SHAPA Pathways and West Valley Career Tech | $125,000 |
| Sheridan SD | West Valley Career Tech Auto Tech Start-Up | $125,000 |
| Silver Falls SD | Silverton High School Industry Modernization | $125,000 |
| St. Helens HS | NW Construction Safety Videos | $247,960 |
| St. Paul SD | St. Paul Agricultural Education Enhancement | $125,000 |
| Tigard-Tualatin SD | Tualatin HS—Health Sciences and Hospitality Pathways Expansion | $81,700 |
| Tillamook SD | Revitalizing Tillamook’s Welding Program | $125,000 |
| Ukiah School | Ukiah Manufacturing CTE POS Start-Up Move Project | $124,713 |
| Union SD | Union High School Laboratory Remodel | $125,000 |
| Vernonia SD | Vernonia Forestry Building Expansion | $123,100 |
| Warrenton HS | CTE for All: Warrenton HS Advanced Manufacturing | $125,000 |
| West Linn-Wilsonville SD | West Linn-Wilsonville HS CTE Career Connections | $125,000 |
| Willamette ESD | Pathways to the Future | $249,799 |
| Willamina SD | Willamina Manufacturing—Bulldog Strong | $125,000 |
| Woodburn HS | Equitable Access to Economic Empowerment | $114,307 |
| $7,321,352 |
