Farmers and ranchers of the Santa Maria valley received updated details about plans for Santa Maria Joint Union High School District’s new Agricultural Education and Career Technical Centers during a meeting on Aug. 25.
More than 70 members of the district’s Ag Advisory Committee attended the informational event inside a classroom and then enjoyed a Future Farmers of America (FFA) barbecue dinner at Righetti High School.
The centers will be built on 25 acres of property, north of the Elks Rodeo grounds and east of Highway 101. The centers will have the capacity to accommodate about 500 students. The district has more than 2,000 FFA members at Righetti, Santa Maria, and Pioneer Valley high schools.
The presentation revealed artist renderings of the new campus including buildings, classrooms, entrances, animal pens, stalls, crop space, orchard space, workshops, parking, outdoor areas, and other features. The possibility of construction of an ag pavilion was also discussed.
Additionally, attendees received information about the district’s recently acquired $2 million Career Technical Education Incentive Grant to help high school students get career- and college-ready, and the district’s partnership with Allan Hancock College and local industry leaders to create career pathways and courses.
Ag Advisory Committee advisors had plenty of ideas for courses that would lead students into the agricultural and food-related workforce.
Teixeira Farms manager Cliff Dugger said he believes any type of food handling certificate would help students transition.
“Courses in food safety, technology, and robotics would be great,” Dugger said in a press release.
Miramar Western Wear and Feed’s Frank Ramirez agreed, added that “a little bit of everything from animals to crops” would definitely improve a young person’s chances of joining the workforce.
District CTE courses at Santa Maria, Righetti, Pioneer Valley, and Delta high schools will all be connected to industry clusters including: arts, media, and entertainment; information and communication technologies; energy, environment, and utilities; health science and medical technology; architecture and engineering; business and finance; manufacturing and product development; agriculture and natural resources; hospitality, recreation, and tourism; and public service.
Superintendent Mark Richardson said one of the district’s top priorities is to take steps to ensure that students have career pathways and courses available to improve their future opportunities.
“The future of agricultural and career technical education will make our students more marketable in the workforce,” Richardson said in the press release. “We are on a positive path. It’s very inspiring to me to be part of a team creating programs that benefit kids.”
This article appears in Sep 1-8, 2016.