CareerTech board approves FY25 appropriations request aimed at shortening program wait lists

The CareerTech board voted to approve its fiscal year 2025 appropriations request, advancing a package of investments the agency says would expand instructor capacity and shorten long student wait lists.

The request — described at the meeting as an agency calculation based on superintendent surveys and program costs — includes funds for statutory flex benefits for technology center instructors and a large workforce-training ask intended to add instructors and expand existing programs. "We asked for $40,000,000 to fund workforce investment. We got $3,000,000," the meeting chair said, noting the agency has adjusted this year's proposal to direct more of any new dollars to technology centers. "So that's what the main focus of this appropriations request is for, is to shorten that wait list."

Why it matters: Career and technical education officials told the board demand outpaces seats at many tech centers and that adding instructors and lab space is the most direct way to admit more students. Agency staff described a formulaic approach to estimating costs: using roughly $150,000 per additional instructor/program slot and $250,000 for a new program to produce a concrete dollar figure for the legislature.

Details and debate: Presenters said the system received roughly 1,000 applications for full-time programs this year while capacity for those programs was 429 spots and that some centers graduate hundreds of students but maintain sizable waiting lists. Gina Hubbard, director of statewide outreach, said the agency is also monitoring several related metrics — industry credentials (22,520 reported), CTSO membership (98,225) and an increase in short-term and adult education enrollments — that inform prioritization for new instructors and programs. Hubbard noted an Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission grant of $10,000 to support aerospace-related outreach.

Board members pressed for clearer language for legislators about whether funds would "add" entirely new programs or "expand" existing ones (the agency clarified they use "program" to mean adding an instructor or capacity). Several members volunteered to join agency staff in legislative meetings to help explain the system and the request to their lawmakers.

Outcome and next steps: The board approved the appropriation request by roll call (motion passed). Agency leaders said the request will now be included in the business plan materials shared with legislators; they emphasized the final amount and distribution depend on legislative action.