The new state grants that total more than $67.7 million will help expand career technical education access to more 10,345 more Ohio students, Gov. Mike DeWine’s office said. The funding will help schools purchase up-to-date equipment to better prepare students to be career-ready after graduation.
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Springfield-Clark CTC will use the state grant to help create opportunities within the Information Technologies pathway to equip students graduating in the Software Programming Technologies Program and Cybersecurity Program, and to purchase updated student computers and monitors, additional projectors, Microsoft Azure for SQL Server, curriculum and professional development for instructors.
“Software developer is listed as the fourth-most in-demand career on Ohio’s Top Jobs list, and we feel it’s important to advance our students’ experiences while still here to give them a competitive advantage in this vastly growing field,” said Superintendent Michelle Patrick.
Grant funding will allow CTC to collaborate with industry partners TechSmart for curriculum and platform, INTERalliance for registered apprenticeship program framework, and Standex and Forward Edge both providing remote internship opportunities.
Patrick said the overall goal is to be part of a state-wide Ohio Codes workforce development initiative, “an integrated pathway model” that develops both students’ software development skills in the classroom and includes work-based learning, internship experiences and industry-authentic work, and implements a curriculum designed around an integrated software development and internship experience within the IT pathway.
CTC will offer this pathway at the main campus and as a satellite program at two high schools in the affiliate districts, Greenon and Northwestern. They will also offer a seventh and eighth-grade software development/coding feeder pathway at each of the middle/junior high schools in those two districts.
Along with getting remote internships, students will also have the opportunity to earn three state-approved Industry-Recognized Credentials (which are not paid for by the grant) as a result of the curriculum purchased and professional development.
Triad Local Schools plans to use the grant to expand academic pathways in allied health, precision agriculture, design and development, to start a pathway in information technology, and to create a modern lecture space for students.
“We have been working on adding pathways at Triad for five years. This will add to what we have already started,” Superintendent Vickie Maruniak said.
The district will work over the next couple weeks to prepare for a building expansion project, in which they expect bids to go out in April and start construction in May, with new classes starting in August. They will also work with students to help “make the classroom vision for these spaces a reality.”
The AG/FFA lab will be remodeled and updated, the IT lab area is a large room that will be remodeled, the nursing and lecture lab areas will be an addition to the building.
The grant will cover everything it costs to add onto the high school, fill the classroom with all furniture and needed materials required by the classes, as well as new staff training and certification. However, Maruniak said the district will have to cover staffing costs for two new hires for the classes since that was not an allowable expense from the state.
“I am more than thankful for all the people that came together to write the grant ... They have and will continue to support us in knowing how to comply with state expectations with a career tech program,” Maruniak said.
Funding for the Career Technical Education Equipment Grant Program was included in the 2024-25 state budget, in addition to $200 million for the Career Technical Construction Program, approved in November 2023.
“Investing in our schools is an investment into our students’ futures,” DeWine said. “Allowing more schools to purchase equipment so they can train more students will set them and our state up for success.”
The second round of the Career Technical Education Equipment Grant will open later this spring. Schools interested in applying can visit Workforce.Ohio.gov/CTEEquipment.
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