At their January 22 meeting, the Houston School Board listened to a presentation by St. Charles Superintendent Rob Routh, Houston Superintendent Mary Morem and Houston’s Director of Educational Success and Innovation Michael Mangan as they explained the concept of creating a partnership high school along I90 near St. Charles. This collaborative career and technical education (CTE) and trades training facility would expand access to hands-on career pathway training at the high school level.
Mangan pointed to the huge need in industry and society for the skills that would be taught at the school. Mangan had met with representatives from Fastenal as well as the local ambulance as he researched the local needs. The intent is to create a partnership with industry to support the creation and continuation of the school. St. Charles and Houston residents would not be facing increased taxes to support the Hard Hat school.
Currently, St. Charles owns 15 acres of land located along I90 just inside Olmsted County; at this time it is rented to a farmer. Some of the land is used by the St. Charles FFA to grow Christmas trees. A conditional use permit would be needed to move the land from its agricultural designation if a school is to be built there. Before any further action could be taken, the county and township would need to approve.
The proposed school would provide career and technical education pathways aligned with needs regionally. Courses in plumbing and electrical, health science with CNA certification, heavy equipment and CDL would have indoor classrooms. A “sandbox” outside would provide hands-on experience for the heavy equipment classes. The design of the proposed building stresses functionality and flexibility so the school would be able to respond to changing industry needs.
Morem informed the board that the state currently has a shortage of 3,000 CNAs. She shared that Houston has received a $120,000 funding grant for EMR and EMT training as well as Perkins Funds.
Morem pointed out that the job of the school is to get kids ready for society and the economy. The intent of this project would be to remove barriers for kids; helping them get needed physicals and paying for certification testing helps students stay on their career path.
Arlin Peterson asked how the technical college felt about this. Routh answered that there is enough need to have both. Mangan noted that it is important for the schools to work together. According to Morem, getting students interested in the careers early would help and they could continue with a higher levels at the technical colleges.
Josh Norlien asked how the sharing would be done between St. Charles and Houston. Routh replied that both can share the building and contracts; sharing agreements would be needed between the two boards.
Nickki Johnson asked if the boards should have approved the concept first. The administrators assured the board that only time has been invested so far. They were asking if the board would like them to continue to investigate the possibility. So far they had talked to the St. Charles School Board earlier in the week and the township. A meeting with Olmsted County was upcoming.
The Houston School Board ultimately gave its blessing to continue looking into the possibilities.
Early Childhood Education
Casey Porter, a 2020 Houston grad, appeared before the board prepared with spreadsheets, handouts and a PowerPoint to share her concern about the need for child care in Houston. Porter proposed starting small with a renovation of the East Campus to accommodate infant and toddler care. In the future, a building could possibly be built on the practice football field if needed. “I’d love for daycare to be a wraparound program in the future!” Porter exclaimed.
Porter asked permission at this time to survey Houston and surrounding area residents about the need for childcare. The board gave its blessings to such a survey.
Elementary Entry
A safe and secure entry at the elementary was high on the priority list for Houston citizens. The board has been working on that proposed entry. It decided another finance meeting was needed to firm up the numbers before the board officially passes the resolution to build the entry. Interest rates will be included in the resolution to be presented at the February board meeting.
Funding of the entry will be done through a 15-year levy. A current levy will expire in 2027; the entry levy will replace that. The ballpark figure for the entry construction is $400,000, which is much less than had been originally proposed on the building referendum.
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