CTE Month...
Celebrate TODAY, own TOMORROW!

Dear Member:

Thank you for being a part of the CTE profession! We are a varied group that is rather small, but we make a HUGE impact on the lives of students every day. Here at CTEI, we are proud of all the hard work that happens around Idaho to benefit students, families and communities.

February is CTE MONTH which brings national attention to the great things we do as a profession. This campaign was spearheaded by ACTE (Association of Career & Technical Educators), our national affiliate, in order to bring awareness and advance CTE. Each state chooses how that looks and one important event Idaho participates in is the CTE Foundation’s Student Day at the Legislature.

This coincides with the ICTE Director giving their budget proposal and legislative visits by CTE professionals. There are great things happening all over the state that need to be shouted and touted! The link below is provided from the ACTE website and lists ways YOU can celebrate CTE in your school and community. So, wear your CTE gear, invite community and business members in to see your program in action and share your stories to all who will listen! https://www.acteonline.org/why-cte/cte-awareness/cte-month/

Sincerely,

Mindy Pals
CTEI President

Legislative Update 
Lex Godfrey, Chair

Your Legislative Committee has been busy this Session! With a significant number of new legislators, it has been important to connect with these individuals and introduce Career & Technical Educators of Idaho. 

During our time in Boise for the CTEI Board meeting and SDAL, members of the Legislative Committee had the opportunity to speak with House Speaker Bedke, House and Senate Education Committee Chairs and many of our elected representatives. Additionally, we continue conversation and engagement with our Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and State Board of Education Members.

This March, CTEI will have representatives attending the ACTE Policy Seminar. These individuals will meet with our members of Congress and share the great work and challenges Idaho is facing within the CTE realm. During next year's Idaho Legislative Session, this team will spearhead a CTEI Policy Seminar to help engage our membership in the important advocacy work locally. More information will be available during REACH.

If you're interested in joining the Legislative Committee, please sign-up.

Website Launch

CTEI is proud to have launched its new website earlier this month! The website includes a new easier to navigate design, member-only access areas, directories by program area, Teacher Association, and general members in addition to enhanced offerings for Teacher Associations.

Teacher Associations now have the ability to use the website and its membership management system free of charge. Associations are able to customize their own website, process new and renewing memberships; along with a multitude of other options. 

CTEI is excited to begin offering professional development videos and lessons for members in the near future. If you have not already checked out the site, it's simple: go to the website, click the log-in and click the "forgot my password" option. This will provide an easy set-up for your account. Make sure to use the same e-mail address you're receiving this e-mail as your username.

CTEI Board Meeting

Your Career & Technical Educators of Idaho Board meet in Boise on January 30th to continue the work on our Strategic and Long-Range plan, provide updates on committee work, and have a presence at the State Capitol for Student Day at the Legislature. For the agenda, visit the Board page on the website.

If you're interested in joining the board or engaging in the work of our committees, please contact any of the board members. To learn more about the committees check out the committee page to serve on a committee, use our committee sign-up form. (You'll need to be logged into the website to access this page).

Student Day at the Legislature - Update

On Wednesday, January 30th, 2019, CTEI leadership (Picture: President Mindy Pals pictured with FCCLA State officers) joined industry leaders, educational leaders, legislators, Lieutenant Governor McGeachin, and Governor Little in celebrating the achievement of Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) and technical college student leaders at the annual Student Day at the Legislature (SDAL) luncheon.

SDAL's main purpose is to showcase student achievement to the legislators to ensure those legislators' continued support for CTE in Idaho, but it is much more. Industry table sponsors share their need for CTE trained workers, while CTSO student leaders share their personal stories of training to be a skilled worker. At the same time, the Idaho CTE Foundation uses SDAL as one of its annual fundraisers to fund CTE student scholarships. Table sponsorship enables the Idaho CTE Foundation to continue to provide scholarships to students enrolled in CTE programs across Idaho. Annually, the Foundation provides over $5,000 in scholarships to students; these scholarships often make the difference in whether a student is able to participate in activities that extend their learning and hone their career aspirations.

The Idaho CTE Foundation is very grateful for the support provided by CTEI in sponsoring a table and for sharing their CTE story with legislative leaders. For more information about the CTE Foundation, check out our website.

Thank you! Harold Nevill, Ph.D.,
Chairman, Idaho CTE Foundation
President-Elect CTEI