Southwest Alaska schools, students press Senate finance panel to fund residential CTE program

Jenny Shryock, executive director of the Bristol Bay Region Career and Technical Education Program (BBRCTE), and Casey Luke, superintendent for the Lake and Peninsula School District, told the committee the BBRCTE partnership—four remote districts serving 23 communities—needs legislative funding to implement a residential schools program included in the governor’s draft operating budget.

Shryock described the program’s origin in 2010 as a cooperative effort to bring career and technical education (CTE) opportunities to students from small communities who otherwise lack access. She said the Department of Education approved the program in 2025 and that the governor’s proposal makes Lake and Peninsula School District the fiscal representative, with implementation contingent on legislative appropriation.

Two seniors who attend BBRCTE also testified. Finn Hill said participation enabled him to complete ground school and begin pilot training; Annalise Cosbrook said CTE classes helped her discover career paths in health and cultural arts. Both students urged funding to sustain staff and the residential component that allows students from remote villages to participate.

Committee members were given program materials and the testimony was submitted for consideration during the ongoing operating budget deliberations.