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Director's Memo 2024-1-16

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Beaver County voters approve High Plains Tech annexation

Residents of Beaver County voted Tuesday to approve annexation into the High Plains Technology Center district.

Unofficial results from the Oklahoma State Election Board show that 60.1% of voters said yes to the annexation proposition, and 39.9% voted no. This will be Oklahoma CareerTech’s first technology center in the Panhandle.

“High Plains Technology Center district is very excited at the opportunities that lie in front of us to bring an area technology center to the Panhandle of Oklahoma,” said High Plains Superintendent Barclay Holt. “The local, county and state leadership that led the effort in bringing this vote to the people have secured increasing the educational opportunities for their students and support for the businesses and industries that call Beaver County home. We are excited about the annexation of Beaver County for the simple fact that Oklahoma CareerTech for the first time in our state’s history is established in the Panhandle of Oklahoma.”

Read more on the Oklahoma CareerTech website.

 

CareerTech seeking 25% budget increase

CareerTech State Director Brent Haken told a House panel last week that the legislature must give more funds to the CareerTech System if they want it to produce the workers needed in Oklahoma.

“What we know is we have a demand for our CareerTech system like we have never seen before,” Haken told the House Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee on Education, as quoted in an article in the Tulsa World.

CareerTech is seeking an approximately 25% budget increase, Haken said, and would expand capacity systemwide by 6,400 students, the newspaper said.

Read more on the Tulsa World website or on the Oklahoma CareerTech website.

 

Video series visits Pioneer Technology Center

Episode 12 of Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell’s “A Look at Oklahoma CareerTech” focuses on Pioneer Technology Center.

Pioneer Tech welding and CDL graduate Hannah Cathey talks about how CareerTech helped her earn two certifications and a high-paying job and gave her the confidence to pursue her passion in a male-dominated field.

Video

 

FCCLA alumna in baking contest quarterfinals

A Marlow baker who is an alumna of Oklahoma Family, Career and Community Leaders of America made the quarterfinals of an online baking contest.

Brooklynn Castle earned a spot in the quarterfinals of “The Greatest Baker” hosted by “Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro and is now seeking votes to advance. The contest prizes include $10,000, which Castle said she would use to build her career and possibly open her own shop.

Read more about her journey on the KSWO website.

 

Useful links

Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @okcareertech and find us on Facebook at OklahomaCareerTech and on Instagram at oklahomacareertech. Find our podcast at https://www.ctconversations.org/ and watch our biweekly news show and other videos on our YouTube channel.

For news about Oklahoma’s CareerTech System, subscribe to CareerTech communications.

State Agency Assistance at a Glance

National Research Center for Career and Technical Education

OK Career Guide

OK Career Guide Training Opportunities

CareerTech Curriculum

 

Practice, work hard, and give it everything you have. -- Dizzy Dean
Last Modified on Jan 16, 2024
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