Opportunities for Voters in Washtenaw County to Learn More about Millage Proposal

The Washtenaw Intermediate School District (WISD) is hosting upcoming information sessions to give voters the opportunity to learn more about the Career Technical Education (CTE) millage proposal on the November 4th ballot.

Voters residing in the nine school districts served by the WISD will vote on a 1.0 mill, 10-year Career Technical Education proposal.  

The WISD serves nine public school districts and the public school academies across Washtenaw County. School districts served by WISD are the Ann Arbor Public Schools, Chelsea School District, Dexter Community Schools, Lincoln Consolidated Schools, Manchester Community Schools, Milan Area Schools, Saline Area Schools, Whitmore Lake Public Schools and Ypsilanti Community Schools.

The WISD announced on Sept. 9, the upcoming millage information sessions will be a combination of in-person and virtual information sessions:

• Tuesday, September 16 at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom webinar (register here) or register at https://wisd.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RxgfOsiMQYiwVYGI6OYq0A#/registration
• Wednesday, September 24 at 5:30 p.m. (register here) – Held at the Washtenaw Intermediate School District located at 1819 S. Wagner Rd., Ann Arbor, MI. or register at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSed-_x3nyfZ-suEuwbNJPydQcYwp_1D8ZcBMqbmGn6z-MW7Gw/viewform?pli=1
• Thursday, October 9 at 6:30 p.m. (register here) – Held at the Washtenaw Intermediate School District located at 1819 S. Wagner Rd., Ann Arbor, MI or register at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSed-_x3nyfZ-suEuwbNJPydQcYwp_1D8ZcBMqbmGn6z-MW7Gw/viewform

“Career Technical Education enhances classroom experiences for every student by connecting their learning to what they love. CTE is about self-discovery and understanding your purpose and place in the world,” WISD Superintendent Naomi Norman said in the announcement. “It provides hands-on opportunities and matches students to real world pathways that lead to college and career success.”

In detailing its importance, the WISD said “Career Technical Education helps students understand why they learn what they learn from preschool through high school graduation.”

“It helps students explore in-demand, high-wage, high-skill career pathways in fields like healthcare, engineering, skilled trades, aviation, automotive, robotics, entrepreneurship, and more,” the WISD said. “Through CTE, high school students can earn dual enrollment college credit and industry-recognized credentials and certifications.”

According to the WISD, in 2024, “Washtenaw CTE students earned 1,395 certifications and 86 percent of them went on to college after graduating high school.”

A big reason for calling for a millage vote on this involves access. The WISD said Washtenaw County students have less access to CTE programs than other students across Michigan.

According to the WISD, “In Washtenaw County, access is limited and dependent on which school a student attends: Ann Arbor has 13 unique programs, Ypsilanti has five, and Whitmore Lake has four – all less than the state average (University of Michigan Youth Policy Lab, 2022). The South and West Washtenaw Consortium, which includes Dexter, Chelsea, Lincoln, Manchester, Milan, and Saline, offers 21 unique programs to students, which is still less than school districts like Northville, Kalamazoo and Rochester, which all have 30+ unique CTE programs.”

Ryan Rowe, Director of CTE at Washtenaw ISD, said students are demanding CTE in Washtenaw County.

“Over the last four years, high school CTE enrollment in Washtenaw has grown by 69 percent, plus hundreds of students are on waitlists for programs like health sciences, welding, and building trades,” Rowe said.

 If the millage is approved, the WISD said it would expand new and existing CTE programs and provide additional age-appropriate experiences from PreK-12 that build on each other as students learn and grow: 

• Pre-K: Wonder – Children utilize play and imagination, sparking curiosity about how the world works.
• Grades K-5: Awareness – Students discover personal interests and a sense of self, expanding their view of what is possible.
• Grades 6-8: Exploration – Students explore their interests and skills and match them to potential career pathways.
• Grades 9-12: Preparation – Students connect academic content to careers through real-word, applied and experiential learning and plan for their future.

Superintendent Norman said, “If the CTE proposal is approved by voters, Washtenaw students will have more access to career pathways they want like health sciences, welding, construction trades, engineering, and entrepreneurship, and they will have access to new, innovative programs like drone and aviation technology, electric vehicles, robotics, and more. We want every voter to have the facts about this proposal and hope they will join us at an information session.”

Voters can learn more about the CTE millage proposal at www.washtenawisd.org/ctemillage.