Greater San Marcos Partnership Annual Education Summit 2018

“Strong growth is what drives the economy forward. In order to drive the economy forward, we must think outside the box when it comes to developing a skilled workforce. Driving the economy forward does not just…”

By, Terra Rivers, Managing Editor

Area superintendents came together on Monday, April 2, to participate and attend the Greater San Marcos Partnership Annual Education Summit.

Adriana Cruz, president of GSMP, opened the summit with the introduction of the keynote speaker Julian Alvarez III, the commissioner representing labor for the Texas Workforce Commission.

Alvarez III speech followed three basic topics: apprenticeship, coding and jobs that don’t exist yet but people are being trained for.

In 2020, there are projected to be 1.4 million jobs available in computing, and women are on track to fill only three percent of those positions, according to Alvarez III.

Alvarez III said a study found the key to increase girls interest in computing was to start in middle school.

TWC awarded eight coding camp for girls grants in May 2017, and many went to rural communities.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, between 2016 and 2026, software developers are to have the most growth with a mean salary of $82,000.

“Strong growth is what drives the economy forward. In order to drive the economy forward, we must think outside the box when it comes to developing a skilled workforce. Driving the economy forward does not just start in high school,” Alvarez III said. “It starts in middle school.”

In his comments, Alvarez III highlighted efforts made by school districts around the state who were following the same philosophy/programs local area school districts were.

In San Antonio, Northside ISD has a program that allows students to team up with construction specialists and design and build tiny homes, which has helped young women get accepted into architecture programs at universities.

Waco ISD converted an old, empty school building into a manufacturing facility. The Greater Waco Advanced Manufacturing Academy opened in the fall of 2013 and services 11 school districts from surrounding communities.

The GWAMA offers advanced technical and manufacturing training for high school students in welding, precision metal manufacturing and robotics and electronics. Students are expected to leave the academy with one of the following: marketable skill awards, skills certificates or advancing degree.

After his speech, Alvarez went on to act as moderator for the panel. Panelists included Michael Cardona, SMCISD superintendent, Dr. Susan Bohn, superintendent of Lockhart ISD, Dr. Eric Wright, superintendent of Hays CISD and Dr. Bruce Gearing, superintendent of Dripping Springs ISD.

Panelists discussed the programs available to students in their districts and what was unique about each of them.

“I believe it’s very important that we customize education and the skills that are necessary to be competitive in our world today,” Dr. Wright said. “What we try to do is involve our kids in internships, apprenticeships and just hands on, so they will learn how to solve problems and fit in to the community. Because we live in one the most dynamic, fast-growth areas and we needed that workforce and skill market to compete.”

Hays CISD partnered with Kyle Fire Department to create the Firefighter Academy; the initiative began as a way for the district to help answer Kyle’s shortage of firefighters. The district also offers free course work through Austin Community College.

Dr. Gearing said Dripping Springs has officially been named the wedding capital of Texas, and Dripping Springs ISD is listening to the community and working to help fill its needs. The school district now has a wedding catering program and a floral design program to help with the demand.

“We’re trying to produce lifelong learners, who have adaptability, who have creativity and who are flexible in their thinking and positive contributors,” Dr. Gearing said. “We want to send them away from us prepared to go to great institutions all over the nation but then to come back and contribute to our community.”

In SMCISD, students have the opportunity to earn many different career certificates and have access to a variety of internships with businesses in the community before graduation. Central Texas Medical Center has partnered with the district to have students working with EMT. And chefs at Embassy Suites work with SMCISD Culinary Arts interns. SMCISD also has 10 to 15 social work interns from Texas State University each semester.

Cardona said SMCISD brings in Texas State students/interns to tutor students.

“When (our) students see students at Texas State, who look like them, being very succesful at the university, it gives them another opportunity to say, ‘I’m ready; I can do this,’” Cardona said.

Dr. Bohn said the Lockhart community supported the district by passing a bond, which allowed Lockhart ISD to build a new technology wing in the district’s high school; the bond allowed them to provide state of the art robotics rooms and culinary arts kitchens.

“Even though we’re a small town in Lockhart; we have big opportunities,” Dr. Bohn said. “We too provide EMT and certified nursing assistant.”

Dr. Bohn said Lockhart ISD produces roughly 15 certified nursing assistants every year; typically, when spoken too, those students want to be surgeons, and their nursing assistant certification allows them to work through school and keep pushing themselves in that medical field. Next year, Lockhart ISD will be offering 12 new CTE courses; these courses will range from video to audio to agriculture to business and more.

“For the future in Lockhart, it’s about opportunity; it’s about increasing the levels of opportunities that kids have to find what they love and what they’re going to want to do when they leave us,” Dr. Bohn said.

“We’ve got a great network of public school districts in the San Marcos area that support our students. The school districts are the heart of the community, and I think that we have the opportunity in our area in particular with the Greater San Marcos Partnership, with our local area business organizations…to have really close partnerships and relations that help us all work together and grow, to help us know how we need to serve you, to help you know how you need to serve our children.” Dr. Bohn said. “If we fail you, the region won’t grow and the businesses won’t expand. And in the same vein, if we’re not prepared to give our kids the opportunity in our regions, the resources, the amenities, to make them want to stay here or come back from college and serve here, then we’re failing them.”