Elgin High School receives $250,000 toward new agricultural learning lab
By Garrett Christensen on Tuesday, March 12th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
ELGIN – Elgin High School receives $250,000 Career and Technical Education Revitalization Grant from the Oregon Department of Education for their project “Building Agricultural Resource Networks (BARN). The BARN Project builds on plans from the Elgin School District to develop an Agricultural Learning Lab space on property recently acquired by the school district in the industrial zone south of Elgin. Funds from several grant sources will be utilized to build a top-notch Animal Teaching Facility on the Land Lab where students will receive hands-on experience and skills managing the production of livestock animals in a real-world setting. Skills will include nutrition, reproduction, carcass ultrasound, and business management. In addition, the grant will fund the implementation of Veterinary Science curriculum at the high school level.
Plans are underway for the development of the Animal Teaching Facility, as well as the renovation of the FFA Clubhouse, located on Inkwood Street in Elgin. The Clubhouse will house a commercial kitchen space, classroom, and large meeting space that will be available for community and school organizations.
The Career and Technical Education (CTE) Revitalization Grant funds from the State of Oregon will serve diverse communities around the state, with programs focused on advanced manufacturing, agricultural science, business, computer science, construction, cosmetology, engineering, firefighting, health sciences, hospitality, media, and natural resources.
In total, the 31 grants help to create or expand CTE programs focused on high-wage, high-skill, and in-demand fields such as Health Care, Manufacturing and Construction. These programs provide valuable access to experience, expertise, and additional forms of support to the communities they serve and give students relevant education and preparation for career and postsecondary learning experiences.
“As the class of 2023 graduation rates indicate, CTE moves the needle on student success,” said Oregon Department of Education Director Dr. Charlene Williams. “CTE keeps students excited about both their school day and their future. These classes build a life changing bridge between the school experience and high-quality, well-paid careers in fields ranging from accounting and astrophysics to welding and zoology.”
Students who pass CTE courses graduate at higher rates when compared to the general student population. According to the most recent data for the Class of 2023, CTE concentrators (across all student populations) graduated at a 95.0% rate, 13.7 percentage points higher than the state as a whole.
In 2011, the Oregon Legislature established a competitive grant program entitled the CTE Revitalization Grant which strengthens the alignment of Career and Technical Education, workforce development and economic development. In July 2015, Governor Kate Brown signed House Bill (HB) 3072 and HB 5016, authorizing $9.0 million for the Oregon Department of Education to continue the CTE Revitalization Grant program. During the 2023 legislative session, $7.629 million was allocated for CTE Revitalization.
The CTE Revitalization Grant Advisory Committee–comprising representatives from organized labor, trade organizations, education and Oregon’s business, labor, industry and trades communities—reviewed 66 applications totaling $16 million in requests. The committee prioritized applications based on geographic diversity, community partnerships and programs that lead to high-wage, in-demand occupations, especially for historically and currently marginalized students.
“We’ve witnessed a remarkable transformation that transcends statistics and elevates lives through CTE,” said Labor Commissioner Christina Stephenson. “The graduation rates among participants of these CTE programs not only surpass state averages but also symbolize the power of equitable investment in education. This isn’t just about closing achievement gaps; it’s about dismantling barriers and ensuring that every Oregon youth, regardless of background, has access to the opportunities that CTE provides.”
The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) jointly appoint the Career and Technical Education Revitalization Grant Advisory Committee. Additional information on grant criteria and additional summaries of the projects selected for this round of funding can be found on the CTE Revitalization Grant web page.
