Photo courtesy Pickens Technical College, from the Colorado Department of Education’s ‘CTE Strategic Plan’.
I’ve written often, here in the Daily Post, about education and our local schools, and about the lack of practical training that takes place in a typical school system. In Pagosa Springs, specifically, courses like wood shop, metal shop, drafting — the building trades in general — were not well accommodated when our new high school was built in 1997. The focus of the new facility was on college-related academics, sports, and performing and visual arts.
Practical courses like auto shop were relegated to a metal building “out back” of the main building. The number of courses offered was limited.
This lack of practical career training was not particular to Pagosa Springs. Recently, however, the Archuleta School District has been making a serious effort to insert career and technical courses into the high school curriculum, and some of those course offerings now have waiting lists.
Colorado as a whole has been recognizing the value of practical education, with new emphasis bleeding down into even the elementary school curriculum.
From CDE’s Strategic Plan for Career and Technical Education, 2024-2028:
Colorado CTE will be the partner of choice for business, community based organizations, and other intermediaries for talent development. Colorado CTE will work with partners with the aspiration that “each learner can access CTE without borders…”
This goal aligns to the CCCS Strategic Plan Pillar, ‘Partner of Choice’ as we aspire to be the preferred partner for industry, government, and communities by responding proactively to needs, engaging in substantive collaborations, and driving workforce development with dynamic, data-informed programs that support skills-based hiring and scalable partnerships…”
You can download the Colorado Department of Education’s ‘Strategic Plan’ for Career and Technical Education, here.
As mentioned previously in this editorial series, the agreement between the nonprofit Build Pagosa Inc. and Archuleta School District (ASD) to cooperate on the construction of a new Regional Workforce Center was a key topic of discussion at the October 14 School Board meeting. Build Pagosa Executive Director Will Ridlehoover noted that, many years ago, ASD had received a specific donation aimed at helping to fund CTE programs at Pagosa Springs High School, in the amount of about $177,000.
Would the School Board provide that amount to Build Pagosa to help pay for design and engineering for the new Center? Now that Build Pagosa has obtained promises from foundations and agencies worth $4.3 million?
In a 2021 agreement, ASD had agreed to fund the design of the Center, with that cost to be reimbursed by Build Pagosa when fundraising is complete, as I understand the agreement.
The estimated cost of the architectural design and engineering would run $420,000, Mr. Ridlehoover told the School Board. Once the design was complete, Build Pagosa would have a better idea of what the facility would cost to build.
Having a final design in hand would also make fundraising easier, presumably. About $4.3 million has been raised so far, of an estimated total of $6 million needed.
Donations can be made to Build Pagosa at this web page.
A committee representing ASD and Build Pagosa selected Denver-based OZ Architecture as their preferred design firm.
The School Board confirmed that the $177,000 was indeed available as an initial payment, and that the Board intended to contribute another $243,000 in the late spring.
School Board member Amanda Schick:
“I absolutely support what Build Pagosa and our CTE program are. I think it has the potential to be an economic life line, honestly, in Pagosa. I think it allows our kids and our families to not just stay and work in Pagosa if they choose to, but to thrive.
“So I can see where this is going to be a wonderful addition to who we are as a community…”
Ms. Schick noted that wasn’t serving on the School Board when the cooperation between Build Pagosa and ASD first began.
“So it’s probably taken me the longest to really come around and understand its purpose, in connection to our school. And I think that’s important to talk about. That it’s not just the adult workforce piece, but really how it does connect to the volunteers here on this Board, who are committed to the students in our school.
“So related to the jobs, and the Department of Labor and their long-term projections… health care, tech, construction, engineering… I guess we think of that as good…”
Ms. Schick brings up an interesting point.
What is the long-term outlook for jobs — particularly, perhaps, in Pagosa Springs?
Our community currently has an average age of 51 years, much older than is typical in Colorado, and the trend seems to be toward an even older average age.
Looking into the future, health care is going to become ever more important to the community. That goes hand in hand with the need for dentistry, I imagine.
Tech work? The national trend seems to be that tech work is going to be handled, more and more, by AI. We probably shouldn’t imagine there ever being a significant need for tech workers in Pagosa Springs.
For the time being, however, the building trades will be necessary to our construction industry — new buildings, remodels, maintenance.
Education? Is that in our future?
At the joint Town Council – Board of County Commissioners meeting on Monday evening, ASD Superintendent Rick Holt was asked if the District foresees increasing enrollment. He mentioned a recent demographic study that predicted declining school enrollment for ASD, especially if Pagosa fails to address its workforce housing shortage.
He also mentioned reduced numbers in recent kindergarten classes — another indication of declining future enrollment.
How quickly can we expand the availability of housing that working families can afford? For the families who typically have school-age children?
Can Build Pagosa contribute to that effort?
Good questions…