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Schools

Sonoma Valley High School to Benefit from Career Technology Program Grants

The Sonoma Valley Unified School District is one of six county districts that will receive significant grant monies over the next five years to expand course offerings and workforce training opportunities through Sonoma County’s Career Technology Education (CTE) Fund. 

The grants, $17,000 to $20,000 a year, are from a fund established in 2012 with the Community Foundation Sonoma County, initially by private donors Tony Crabb and Barbara Grasseschi, for the purpose of supporting educational efforts designed to prepare students to become successful citizens in the 21st Century and truly be college- and career-ready. 

The SVUSD grant is to support their Engineering Design and Technology Linked Learning Pathway. The High School offers an Engineering, Design and Technology-linked learning pathway elective, Introduction to Engineering and will add Principles of Engineering course next Fall (2013). This funding will support both electives courses and related expenses associated with Work-based Learning - including internships, externships, transportation and other related expense.

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The CTE fund grew rapidly when the County of Sonoma approved a five year commitment at $50,000 per year, which was equally matched by the Jordan Foundation, for a total pledge of half a million dollars through 2016.

“We know one of the keys to a stronger economy is investing in our local schools and providing high school and college students with access to modern and innovative job skills programs. Local government and the Sonoma County business community are partnering to provide our young people with the workforce tools they need to thrive in this new economy,” Fourth District Supervisor Mike McGuire says of the County’s support.

Additional private donations are being sought to further enhance the fund. “Our vision is to provide more opportunities for students, our future workforce, to experience the hands-on learning and exploration necessary to connect their education to the real world and specifically match with the economic and workforce development needs of Sonoma County,” expresses Tony Crabb, CTE Fund Advisory and owner of Puma Springs Vineyards. 

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More than 350 Career Technical Education courses are currently offered through 15 Sonoma County high schools and include hands-on training in industry related courses in agriculture, arts, media and communications, automotive, building trades, business, finance, manufacturing, culinary arts, healthcare, energy, information services and retail trade. 

“To ensure the economic vitality of Sonoma County, we have to invest in local education programs that are aligned with the key economic drivers of our county and to ensure success for all students, from middle school through post-secondary education” says Stephen Jackson, Director of Career Development/Workforce Preparation Services, Sonoma County Office of Education.  “This includes applying essential academic standards in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) throughout all our CTE courses.”

The following additional school district CTE programs have also been selected:

Petaluma Joint Union High School District - Engineering Technology. 

Santa Rosa City High School District - CTE Project Make-Applied Lab Implementation. 

Healdsburg Unified School District - Farm to Table Course, additional funding for staff and to integrate CTE curriculum in the areas of Culinary Arts and Agriculture.

West Sonoma County Unified High School District - Project Make is an innovative, hands on curriculum where student explore and create project-based activities to foster their ingenuity

Windsor Unified School District - Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) CTE Course and Establishment of a Regional Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Program.   

In addition to funding, the success of the CTE program relies on the strength of private/public partnerships that include the County of Sonoma, Sonoma County Office of Education, Sonoma State University, Santa Rosa Junior College, area school districts, and numerous local employers, sponsors, and organizations.

The CTE fund Advisory Committee plans to raise an additional $140,000 this year with hopes of raising $500,000 a year within the next five years.  The funding cycle begins in January of each year with requests for proposals going out to area high schools with grants awarded the following July to prepare for program implementation in the fall.

For more information regarding the grant process and/or if you are interested in supporting the CTE Fund, contact Stephen Jackson, Sonoma County Office of Education at (707) 524-2720.

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