PUSD awarded $1million plus for high school pathway program

Porterville Unified School District has been awarded a grant of $1.025 million by The James Irvine Foundation to develop a district-wide system of six industry-themed pathway programs that will be available to all high school students.

PUSD received the grant through ConnectEd: the California Center for College and Career, with money provided by the Irvine Foundation which assists schools and communities in implementing pathway programs.

The district will use the funds to expand existing career academies that are currently available at certain local high schools, so program participation will no longer be contingent upon the specific high school a student attends, PUSD Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Ken Gibbs said.

The pathway system of education has proved effective in promoting student engagement in the learning process, PUSD Superintendent John Snavely said.

“We have found that this delivery system helps engage students so they understand why they need to know what they are learning,” Snavely said. “We see this grant as having a very positive impact upon our delivery of instruction as it will allow us to create unique opportunities for our students.”

After responding to a request last October from ConnectEd for grant proposals, the district received an initial planning grant of $125,000 in Nov. 2008 to formulate a proposal for the pathway program. Out of the thirty districts that applied for the initial grants, PUSD was one of the final ten to receive planning funds.

“The planning grant allowed us the time and resources to develop a proposal to implement the pathways program,” Gibbs said. “The plan we developed is what made us competitive in the final grant process.”

Pathway programs are academic tracks that focus upon a certain industry sector, such as entertainment or computer technology, and supplement classroom learning with hands-on opportunities.

PUSD is one of only six school districts in California to receive a grant greater than $1 million to develop a pathway program; the other districts include Antioch, Long Beach, Pasadena, Sacramento City, and West Contra Costa.

The funds distributed are part of the Multiple Pathways District Initiative, developed by ConnectEd, which will assist each district that received a grant to establish a minimum of four certified pathway programs over the next two years. ConnectEd will also provide the schools with technical assistance such as evaluations systems and leadership development programs as needed.

Four other school districts in California received funds from the Pathways Initiative in the form of $125,000 grants.

The immediate goal is to establish four certified pathways before June 2011. Long-term, the Initiative hopes to establish six to eight certified pathways as PUSD utilizes the grant monies over the next three to five years.


The Porterville District’s strengths included its strong community involvement in education and dedication to student success, ConnectEd President Gary Hoachlander said.

“What was particularly strong about Porterville’s plan was that the town clearly has very strong leadership at all levels - from schools to community members to businesses — that is committed to student success in secondary education and career wise,” Hoachlander said.

“There is a strong tradition of workforce preparation in the Porterville school system that will be essential to the success of the pathway system.”
Contact Sarah de Crescenzo at 784-5000, Ext. 1050, or sdecrescenzo@portervillerecorder.com.