Washington state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal will call on lawmakers to expand access to career and technical education (CTE) programs to allow sixth graders to participate.
The change will require legislative approval when the upcoming session begins in January.
In a letter to Third Congressional District Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, Reykdal said he and the congresswoman “share a strong belief in the lifelong value that CTE programs bring to our students” and that his office is “always seeking opportunities to expand access.”
“The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) team is actively pursuing a change to increase access to middle school CTE programs to include sixth grade students,” Reykdal wrote to Gluesenkamp Perez on Nov. 8.
The letter from Reykdal comes after Gluesenkamp Perez wrote to OSPI late last month expressing support for the change, noting that though state law restricts federal CTE funds to the seventh grade and above, federal law allows the funds to be used from the fifth grade on.