Tom’s Vote: YES
SB 348 seeks to expand educational opportunities in the state by easing the process for the creation of college and career academies. A college and career academy operates as a partnership and collaboration between businesses, high schools and post-secondary institutions to advance workforce development and work based learning programs.
This bill amends the BRIDGE Act to allow local school systems to create a college and career academy as part of a contract to act as a strategic waivers school system or charter school and also adds as a provision that a charter district or a strategic waiver district can initiate a college and career academy.
This bill solves the problem of having to create a freestanding charter, which will increase the number of college and career academies throughout the state. This bill also provides training requirements for the governing board of a college and career academy, including, but not limited to, best practices, constitutional and statutory requirements, and applicable statutes, rules, and regulations.