Wayzata Public Schools — Transcript
Monday, February 23, 2026
Career and Technical Education (CTE) Program Review and Expansion
MSBA Onboard U Training Platform
Referendum Early Voting Announcement
Votes (1)
Career and Technical Education (CTE) Program Review and Expansion
Dissent: None
The presentation covered the evolution of CTE, from initially separate departments to integrated career pathways. Key features include experiential learning, a focus on academic achievement and post-secondary success, and community involvement through mentorships and industry partnerships. Students shared personal testimonies about how CTE courses like CNA, CTE Internship, and Compass provided valuable skills, clarified career interests, and offered college credits. The program saved students an estimated $158,000 in concurrent enrollment credits in 2024-25. Future goals include increasing access to community resources, obtaining college/career credentials, and continuous partnerships. Capacity issues were noted in CNA and culinary arts programs.
Notable Quotes (5)
um from me it's or again it's kind of nice to really think about like what career and technical education does and the value add to our students that we serve. But we've kind of summarized it as in it's the courses that students take their academic knowledge and then they see where it's going to fit inside of the world outside of school.
CTE internship is basically a course that is held at Weisetta that allows students to gain work experiences based on stuff they're interested in. For example, I am interested in social media. I am interested in journalism. And as um one of the CT interns, I am helping the new CT Instagram account, posting videos daily and trying to, you know, grow that account and allow people to know about the the the course in general.
CNA gives students the opportunity to become a certified nursing assistant and then you take the test the certified the CNA exam for Minnesota at the end of this course to see if you're ready to be a certified nursing assistant and go work in the real world. So this is an amazing course for any students interested in like nursing or just healthcare in general.
These courses have confirmed for me that engineering is the right path for me. They've given me skills that I can use in my engineering. For example, with the wood shop class I took, I got certified to run a CNC machine and learn how that works and use it. When I go into engineering, if I have a part that needs to be machined, I have a better understanding of how this will actually be used. These courses don't just build you academically. They give you skills that allow you to actually contribute to the workforce and understand how different careers operate.
The idea that you can have a credential coming out of any one of these spheres or pathways is incredible. So, I'm going to tell you when I taught I taught public health at St. Kates and at Hamlin and the number of students that I had that were CNAs in order to get them through college was like it was a lot of students and that was their pathway to their four-year college. without that credential, they would not have had the support financially to be able to do that. So, this is a like this is a really critically important thing that you're doing to expand access of four-year colleges and beyond for people throughout the educational system.
Ordinances & Resolutions (5)
A foundational document outlining common language and desired characteristics for students, used to develop goals with mentors.
A framework for social emotional learning in middle school, linked to CTE curriculum.
A state-mandated graduation requirement that Weisata Public Schools is addressing with multiple CTE course options.
A new online training platform created by the Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA) for Minnesota school board members.
A ballot measure for which early voting is announced, potentially related to high school facilities.