The McMinnville School District has been awarded nearly $220,000 in two state grants for the Career Pathway programs this month.
The bigger grant, part of the Oregon Department of Education (ODE)’s CTE Revitalization Grant program, will provide $146,796 to the protective services pathway programs, including the existing Criminal Justice and Fire & Emergency Services pathways. MSD was one of 25 recipients from around the state.
Additionally, the grant will fund the district’s first middle school coursework that will transition students into the high school program.
“We’re planning to add a forensic science class to our middle schools,” said Tony Vicknair, director of Secondary Programs for the McMinnville School District. “We already have a strong STEM program and we think this will be an exciting, relevant addition to the course options for our middle school students.
“For our high school students, we’re strengthening our partnerships with the fire department, the court system, the police department and other security agencies to give kids a chance to see first-hand what these organizations do and see whether that’s a path they might want to pursue,” said Vicknair.
Another grant, $74,000, will fund equipment for the existing pathway programs, such as electronics equipment for the Engineering classroom or possibly a sports medicine taping center for the Health Services classroom.