Legislative Alert: Chamber opposes cuts to Career and Technical Education programs
The St. Johns County Chamber sent the following letter to the county's legislative delegates urging opposition to SB2510 and HB5101, which would result in a loss of $7 million in St. Johns County School District and would impact programs like Continuing and Technical Education.
The Chamber encourages our members to contact St. Johns County's legislative delegation and urge them to vote against the cuts.
Sen. Tom Leek (Chair)
(386) 446-7610 | Email
Rep. Kim Kendall (Northern St. Johns County)
(904) 295-1620 | Email
Rep. Sam Greco (Southern St. Johns County)
(386) 446-7644 | Email
Rep. Judson Sapp (Western St. Johns County)
(386) 249-7060 | Email
The full text of the letter sent to the legislative delegation is below:
SB 2510/HB5101, which has been placed on the Special Order Calendar for April 9, contains language cutting add-on FTE CAPE funding, which plays a crucial role in ensuring the sustainability and growth of Career and Technical Education programs in our St. Johns County Schools. On behalf of the St. Johns County Chamber's more than 1,000 member businesses, we strongly urge your opposition to these cuts.
Over the past 8 years, because of the commitment to workforce development combined with appropriate funding, the St. Johns County School District has been able to grow from 19 Career Academies with 23 Career Pathways to 29 Career Academies with more than 40 Career Pathways. In the last four years, enrollment in high school CTE programs has grown from 5,800 students to more than 10,000 students and in middle school from 6,100 students to more than 8,000 students.
CTE programs provide students with essential skills and knowledge that align with industry needs, preparing them for successful careers upon graduation. Without adequate funding, these programs face limitations in resources, curriculum development, and faculty support, ultimately hindering student success and most importantly, workforce readiness. Add-on FTE funding helps bridge any gaps by allocating additional financial support based on student enrollment in career-focused courses. Therefore, ensuring consistent and increased funding is vital for the continued positive state-wide impact and expansion of CTE programs, which are key to building a skilled and competitive workforce.
At the high school level, add-on FTE ensures that the SJCSD programs are keeping up with industry trends. CTE classes are typically more expensive to run than regular core classes. Advanced processors for software applications, cloud storage, virtual simulators and supplementary curriculum are all important components to ensure success toward passing industry certifications. Real-world experiences, through national student organizations like FBLA, SkillsUSA, DECA and the competitions and travel expenses associated with student organizations are offered opportunities to our students because we have the funding to do so. If the funding shrinks, these opportunities will diminish.
Cutting CAPE funding has a MAJOR impact on many facets of CTE programs with negative consequences for our students. Our employers will also be negatively impacted if we can no longer expand or support course offerings. Ultimately, cutting CTE funding not only harms our students, but it also weakens the broader economy by failing to produce a skilled workforce in St. Johns County, which the Chamber is working so hard to maintain and grow.
Please oppose the cuts to the CAPE program contained in SB 2510 as they will certainly impact the ability of St. Johns County employers to fully staff up a home-grown workforce for the future.