Union Public School District is weighing the possibility of adding a fifth program to its Career and Technical Programs to teach students on-the-job skills while still in school.
Superintendent Tyler Hansford said the new course would be a second agricultural program, though it would be slightly different from the agricultural CTE program the district currently offers.
“It would be more science based,” he said, “More academic than the current hands-on program.”
Union CTE’s agriculture program is the largest of the four programs currently offered, so adding a second, academic-based course would both increase the number of students in the CTE programs and allow students to choose a program more in line with their career goals, he said.
“Ag is our biggest by far, so it made sense for the jobs and career outlook in this part of the state,” he said.
Though the new program is not a done deal, Hansford said the district was making preparations to add the course the Career and Technical Center’s curriculum. Final word on the funding is expected in late April, he said.
In other business, Hansford said he was proud to say Union Public School District had been recognized with several Value Added awards. Value Added awards, he explained, are given to rural school districts who perform better than similar schools.
“When you compare similar schools, we outperform them,” he said.
UPSD received Value Added awards in U.S. History and ACT testing.
Hansford said he was proud of the students, teachers and staff for the hard work the awards represented.
