Careers in the making From the cover
The full story
Career and Technical Education program enrollment
State CTE bills passed in 2025
Increases funding through various College, Career and Military Readiness avenues House Bill 2
Over the last five school years, enrollment in KISD CTE programs rose 12.8% even as overall student enrollment fell 1%, district and Texas Education Agency data show. As CTE program enrollment has grown, so have opportunities, Bronner-Westerduin said. Students can earn practical experience, college credits and professional certifications. “Today’s students have access to a wider range of opportunities. … The curriculum has evolved to incorporate innovative content and emerging technologies that mirror real-world industry practices,” Bronner-Westerduin said. Texas lawmakers invested in CTE programs with bills such as HB 2, which will bring $153 million in CTE funding to Texas schools. House Bill 20 creates an applied sciences program where students can earn a high school diploma and higher education certificates simultaneously, according to Texas Legislature Online. House Bill 120 updates funding avenues for CTE programs and provides CTE facility funding to schools. The bill also allows Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps programs to receive CTE funds and triples per-student funding for Pathways in Technology Early College High School programs to $150 per student, according to a June data sheet from nonprofit education analytics firm Commit Partnership.
KISD students taking CTE courses
20K
+12.8%
15K
Expands opportunities for students to earn higher education certificates while working toward a high school diploma HB 20
10K
5K
0
2021-22 2022-23
2020-21
2024-25 2023-24
Updates CTE accountability systems and expands financial access for programs HB 120
School year
Region 4 students taking CTE courses Texas students taking CTE courses
2M
Creates a week in mid-October where higher education institutions will waive undergraduate application fees SB 2231 Calls for a standard GPA calculation method that considers districts’ various higher education credits and programs that are often part of CTE learning Senate Bill 1191
+14.9% +11.3%
1.5M
1M
500K
0
2020-21
2021-22 2022-23 2023-24
School year
NOTE: STATE AND REGION 4 DATA NOT AVAILABLE FOR 2024-25 SCHOOL YEAR
SOURCES: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY, KLEIN ISD, TEXAS LEGISLATURE ONLINE, RAISE YOUR HAND TEXAS, COMMIT PARTNERSHIP/COMMUNITY IMPACT
A closer look
The impact
Celeste Vultaggio, a senior at Klein Oak High School taking architecture courses under the district’s CTE program, said she believes her CTE education will be vital to setting her up for success in her career. The program has allowed her to gain practical experience, develop a portfolio and earn professional certifications. “For a lot of technical colleges, you have to have a portfolio just [to] be admitted,” Vult- aggio said. “So it helps build that portfolio, so that … you could be more competitive.” KISD leaders don’t have specific plans yet for the CTE funding from the recent bills, but renovating facilities is an option, KISD’s Executive Director of Communications Justin Elbert said in a July 24 email. “KISD continues to explore expansion opportunities to meet growing student demand and regional workforce needs,” Bronner-Westerduin said.
According to KISD’s website, the district offers 54 CTE programs, covering industries such as computer science, engineering, animal science, animation, culinary arts, welding, medical science and law enforcement. “CTE participation strengthens college appli- cations by demonstrating academic rigor, career focus and leadership through co-curricular involvement,” Bronner-Westerduin said. As CTE has become more popular, attitudes about the programs have shifted, said Donald Kamentz, CEO of nonprofit education consulting firm Contigo Ed. Kamentz said he’s seen an emphasis on using labor market data. “It’s really an intentionality of looking at: What is the labor market saying?” he said. “You might feel like—especially a city like Houston—it’s maybe natural to [send students into] the medical profession or tech profession or … oil and gas, but there may be aspects of those that are not as high demand.”
KISD offers over 250 Career and Technical Education courses across 54 programs. The district’s most popular program categories are:
Business, Marketing & Finance Includes marketing/sales and accounting programs Health Science Includes pharmacy, nursing and EMT programs
Agriscience Includes animal science/veterinary studies, plant and flora sciences programs
4,000 CTE certifications were awarded by KISD for the 2023-24 school year. 3,900 students are expected to enroll in these programs for the 2025-26 school year.
SOURCES: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY, KLEIN ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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