Expanding Ramona Unified School District's career technical education program may still be an item on its wish list, but trustees are taking some steps to make it happen.
The April 11 school board meeting discussed three items related to CTE, a program that prepares students for future careers through hands-on training in fields such as culinary arts, information technology, construction and agriculture. Ta.
The topic was featured in the CTE Needs and Interests Survey report, conducted online from January to February of this year by Arlington, Virginia-based Hanover Research.
The City of Hanover asked 563 respondents, including students, parents, staff, and community members, several questions to gauge interest in and need for the district's CTE program. Officials said the survey also measured respondents' awareness and understanding of the program.
Next, the trustees approved an estimated $100,000 contract with San Francisco-based Dale Scott & Company, a financial advisory firm for K-12 school districts.
The Ramona Trustees voted 3-1-1, with Maya Phillips abstained and Roger Dome absent, to vote on the district's registration to assess funding needs for specific projects, among other things. Voted to hire Dale Scott & Co. to conduct the voter survey. There is a willingness to increase taxes on general obligation bonds.
At a Feb. 20 special school board meeting, trustees proposed the idea of a bond as a way to raise money between the district and the community to possibly construct a new CTE building or common pool. Later, at the March 12 board meeting, the company's president, Dale Scott, expressed his views on the possibility of issuing bonds.
The third item on the most recent school board meeting, more loosely tied to the CTE program, was Santa Fe Springs to pursue state funds that would potentially pay for CTE and/or CTE-related construction and modernization projects. The management committee unanimously approved hiring CL Consulting. Transitional kindergarten facility. The proposal estimates a maximum fee of $25,000 for Phase 1 of the service and up to $50,000 for Phase 2.
During the discussion, Ramona resident Dave Patterson thanked the board members for their interest in the possibility of expanding the CTE program.
“I applaud everyone for digging into this issue and staying motivated to get the CTE building built,” Patterson said. “Everyone I talk to says we need more CTE training. We know there's a huge shortage of electricians.”
Patterson suggested the trustees focus on the CTE building if the bond proposal is placed on the November 2024 ballot.
“I think if we build a building, it will bring students, teachers and industry together,” Patterson said after the meeting. “The current academic program is great. I think the top 10 to 15 percent of students who go on to college do very well. We have to do what's best for all of our students if we can.”
Hanover Research officials shared data they collected related to the district's career and technical education programs, according to the company's report.
“Respondents who are familiar with CTE programs generally view their district's CTE program positively,” the report states. “Of respondents who know at least a little about CTE programs, just over three in five girlfriends (64 percent) said they were satisfied with the programs.”
However, about two-fifths of respondents, or 41 percent, said they knew nothing about Ramona Unified's CTE program, and only 18 percent said they were very or very familiar with it.
Other findings showed that approximately half of respondents who answered the question “Are you/your child interested in participating in a CTE program?” answered “yes.”
The top three programs that respondents were interested in were Culinary Arts, Architecture and Construction, and Information Technology. The overarching “Other” category also ranked highly, including software engineering, mechanical/automotive, welding, art education, fire science, and construction.
Here are the top three reasons why you are enrolling or planning to enroll in a CTE course. “This course will prepare you for university and employment.” and “Getting a higher-paying job.”
When asked, “What are you or your child most interested in in a career or technical education program?”, the top three responses were “Experiencing hands-on learning” and “Experiencing experiential learning.” “was. “Development of specific career/employment skills”; and “Development of specific skills for university/course of study”.
Nicole Thomas, Hanover Studies Content Director, told Ramona Unified that the CTE program currently offers the following to ensure the possibility of program expansion and adjustment to meet the diverse interests of students and parents. He recommended that a study be carried out to examine areas where there is no such thing.
The focus then turned to whether to hire Dale Scott & Co for services related to placing the bond on the November 2024 ballot.
Scott proposed designing and drafting a random survey of the district's registered voters to assess the district's overall performance. Quality of education. Quality of district facilities. The need for bond issuance is recognized. The need for financing specific projects. And there is a willingness to raise taxes to pay for the bonds.
Scott's fee includes $15,000 for voter research. He received $15,000 for pre-election services such as reviewing district-wide funding needs, recommending appropriate funding options and developing election and fundraising schedules. He paid $65,000 for bond issuance services. He will include $5,000 for ongoing disclosure services including budget and audit reports.
Trustee Phillips asked whether Ramona Unified could hire Scott just for the investigation and then decide whether to contract with other services based on the results of the investigation.
Superintendent Brian Thurman said it would not be possible to accept the investigation information and hire another company to complete the bond process based on Scott's information.
“I don't know how voters perceive it,” Thurman said of the bond proposal. “There are about 25,000 registered voters in Ramona, but we don't know their awareness.”
Phillips also questioned the collection of information based on the merits of long-term and short-term bonds, which have different interest rates and property tax levels.
Trustee Dan Summers said the first step in the process is to survey voters' opinions about the bonds.
“First, we need to determine the mood of voters regarding bonds,” Summers said. “All other questions will be answered in due course.”
Summers reminded trustees and attendees that Scott said at the last school board meeting that the bond's best chance of passing was during a presidential election with high voter turnout.
“Time is of the essence,” Summers said. “Once the investigation is complete, there could be a vote in November, but we would be pressed for time if we proceeded with this.”
Board president Dawn Perfect said she was confident Dale Scott & Co. would do a good job.
“If he didn't think this was going to be successful, he wouldn't waste his time in the Ramona Unified School District,” Perfect said before the Scott contract was approved.
The trustees agreed to use the services of CL Consulting Co., Ltd. and continued discussions.
An April 3 letter from Rory Lewis, president of CL Consulting, states that the purpose of the company's services is to generate state funding for the planning, construction and modernization of school facilities.
“Our goal continues to be to pursue the highest amount of state funding for eligible school facility projects,” the letter states. “While seeking state funding is not uncommon, the disbursement and audit process often adds one to three years or more of effort and complexity to the back end of the construction phase.”
The proposal would include $225 per hour for consulting services to presidents and directors, $140 per hour for assistant planners and analysts, and not to exceed $25,000 and $50,000 for Phase 1 of services during the 2024-25 academic year. We ask that you do not exceed. For phase 2.
The trustees discussed options including hiring in-house staff to pursue matching grants to pay for construction or improvements to the facility, but Thurman said it was a detailed and complex process and that CL Consulting's He said such companies have the expertise to handle it.
“It may take some investment to make a profit,” Perfect said. “Sometimes we act as if matching money is a given. But apparently the state isn't making it easy to get a refund. There are loopholes and it can get complicated. ”