Vocational program receives large equipment grant

South Bend High School will be implementing the CNC plasma cutter in 18-19

South Bend receives $84,000 competitive grant funding for Career & Technical Ed (CTE)

South Bend School District was informed today that we will be receiving over $84,000 dollars to enhance our Career & Technical Education (CTE) program.

It is my belief that today's 9-12 high school education system needs to do everything possible to provide skills training that integrates core subjects.  Math and science, art, communication, and other traditional subjects can and must be taught within skills-based classes.  Whether training in welding, construction, business, IT, agriculture, or STEM related subjects, our education programs need to focus on a wide range of students with life goals and career paths not solely centered on the 4-year university track.

Unfortunately, it is often difficult for smaller schools to provide a lot of the technology needed to run these innovative programs. We depend on grants to help us get the tools we need.  That is why I was so excited to apply for the CTE Equipment Grant that the state legislature funded this last Spring.

The competitive grant provided up to $100,000 dollars to school districts wanting to increase equipment provisions in their CTE programs.  South Bend's grant will provide two systems for an approximate total of $85,000.  These systems include:  1) a new dust collection system for our wood shop, and 2) a CNC plasma cutter for our design classes.

The dust collection system will replace our current system and will add much needed capacity to our wood shop program.  This will allow us to safely and efficiently remove saw dust and other particles as our shop machinery is operated.  It will also allow us to add more equipment in the shop due to the increased capacity of the new dust collector.

The CNC plasma cutter will allow our students to learn industry skills in metal design and fabrication.  It will allow students to design products using computer-aided drafting (CAD) which will then be produced on the CNC cutter.  The machine will also produce metal etching and enable South Bend students to design and create a multitude of signs, metal components, parts, and other metal products.

Career & Technical Education is a priority at South Bend School District.  We are excited to continue building our programs and supporting our students in learning hand-on skills applicable to post high school job opportunities.   This grant will go a long way in providing yet more opportunity for South Bend students.