BY BROOKE SJOBERG
A closer look
Going forward
CTE is not just vocational education, as these opportunities also help students be better prepared for more rigorous academic opportunities after high school, according to the Texas Education Agency. In GISD, there are 10 CTE-associated career con- centrations that provide pathways to certication in a variety of elds. Schulz said students can take as many courses as their schedule can accommodate, but if they have a particular goal to achieve a certi- cation or learn a specic skill, they might choose to focus on one area. “We have several students that do multiple engineering programs, or a health science and an engineering program—build a plane and then go get their [nursing assistant certication] right afterwards,” he said. “But we also want students to be able to learn as much quality content as possible when they’re in high school.” The district partners with many local businesses
Community partners GISD has partnered with many businesses and volunteers to enhance its CTE programming. Automotive • Caliber Cosmetology • Sport Clips Haircuts Health science • St. David’s HealthCare
Much of the FRLC was designed with exible space, Schulz said. Entire wings of the building can be recongured based on the needs of students and course oerings from the district, he said, as they were constructed with movable walls and doorways. This is because as the needs of the local workforce change, the district is working to meet those needs and help students get their foot in the door for employment post-graduation. With the upcoming manufacturing program as just one example, Padavil said the district is planning to continue working with community partners to identify future programs with similar benets to students. “This region of Williamson County is at the very beginning of what’s going to become a manufacturing expansion,” Padavil said. “There’s going to be incredible demand for workforce.” “I’m just so appreciative that my son is going to have those opportunities because [the district has] reached out to businesses and said, ‘Hey, come partner with us.’” JAYMA VAUGHAN, GISD PARENT
SOURCE: GEORGETOWN ISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT NOTE: THIS LIST IS NONCOMPREHENSIVE.
and volunteers to provide educational oppor- tunities that might otherwise be out of reach, Schulz said. These opportunities allow students to be better prepared for what jobs in their chosen industry might really look like, making them more employable, Padavil said.
What parents should know
Schulz said the district has adjusted the sched- ule at the FRLC to accommodate travel times between campuses. When possible, students spend either the morning or the afternoon at the FRLC to reduce travel times. It’s a process he said the district is working to rene, just a couple of weeks into the new school year. However, he said GISD is generally nding success in transitioning students from campus to campus.
Jayma Vaughan, a GISD parent and a CTE direc- tor in Austin ISD, said her son has been excited to go to school, largely because of his participation in welding and automotive programming. She said he starts his day at GHS, where the welding program is based, before going to his core classes and then to the FRLC for the automotive program. Students have the option to drive themselves or use district transportation to go between the FRLC and their high school campus.
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