Multiple districts — Nearly $1.7 million in state funding is headed to Kent County schools to expand career and technical education programs, giving students earlier opportunities to explore careers ranging from advanced manufacturing and computer programming to hospitality and tourism.
Three districts — Godwin Heights, Godfrey-Lee and Sparta — have received funding from the Michigan Department of Education’s 2025-26 Career and Technical Education Expansion Grant. The funds will support new and expanded programs designed to give students hands-on experience and exposure to careers and postsecondary pathways.
Read more: Two other Kent County districts added MEERA labs to their middle schools this year thanks to a partnership with Kent ISD. Learn why districts are seeking more CTE education at the middle-school level.
Here’s a quick overview of how those funds will help these districts expand their CTE offerings.
Godwin Heights Adds Manufacturing Pathway
The district has been looking for ways to introduce college and career readiness at younger ages and build upon the strong science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) program at North Godwin Elementary, said Kim Urbanski, Godwin Heights Middle School principal.
The decision was to offer a manufacturing pathway utilizing the Manufacturing and Engineering Education Reimagined for All (MEERA) curriculum, Urbanski said.
Godwin Heights received $233,602 to develop a MEERA lab at its middle school. Every sixth-grader will take the course for nine weeks, while seventh- and eighth-graders will have the option to enroll in an 18-week MEERA II elective.
“As a school improvement team, we’ve continued to look for ways to introduce college and career readiness at younger grade levels,” Urbanski said, noting the school has done this through its enrichment classes. “Adding this career-based elective gives students more opportunities to explore the paths available to them as they grow.”
Sparta Expands Computer Programming
Sparta Area Schools received three state grants totaling about $1.1 million to expand digital technology and computer programming offerings at the middle and high school levels.
The programs will give students opportunities to work with industry-related technology, including computer numerical control (CNC) machines and virtual reality tools for welding practice, which at the middle school level will be through the MEERA program, said Steve Johnson, the district’s director of academic services.
“We are using these funds to create classes that inspire students to pursue careers in manufacturing and software development,” Johnson said. “The materials and curriculum give them the experience of working with some of the same tools as those in industry.”
An advisory committee of industry professionals and college professors will meet twice a year to ensure the curriculum aligns with industry and university standards, he said. The committee also will help students connect classroom learning to real-world applications through virtual and in-person industry experiences.
“The hope is that the courses are embraced by students and the community so the program can expand in the future,” Johnson said.
Godfrey-Lee Builds Hospitality and Tourism Program
Through a partnership with Experience Grand Rapids, Godfrey-Lee Public Schools developed an NAF Hospitality and Tourism Academy at Lee High School.
Superintendent Arnetta Thompson said Experience Grand Rapids approached the district last year about the growing need for workers in the hospitality and tourism industry, which has struggled to rebuild its workforce since the pandemic.
The program will include culinary education, requiring the district to develop a kitchen for students. Thompson said the district plans to use a portion of its $399,400 state grant to build the kitchen, potentially at the district’s former administration building. Locating the kitchen there would make the program easily accessible to students, Thompson said.
The remaining grant funds will help support a teacher for the program.
“It is a great opportunity for our schools and community to collaborate,” Thompson said. “They are telling us about a need and we are helping to fill that need by training students in the high school.”
Reporter Riley Kelley contributed to this story.
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