Invest in the future of RHS students

Daniel Heredia

The CTE programs are important and useful classes that students can use in their high school careers to open new doors to future careers here at Rialto High School. These programs can encourage and support our students to pursue “technical” and hands-on careers, which is why Rialto High should invest more in our CTE programs. 

Rialto High School already offers great CTE classes such as sports med, business management, food service and hospitality, green construction, and auto shop, which are among the most popular. 

Although these classes open doors to different opportunities, they aren’t focused on high-demand jobs. Rialto High School should focus on introducing more high-demand jobs, such as HVAC technicians, plumbers, and welders, as well as computer science classes and more. 

By offering our students these classes, we provide them with lifelong careers or an alternative to college. Students at Rialto High already have access to amazing classes and courses, but we should also showcase more career paths to our students. 

A lot of high school students aren't sure what to study or what to work in after high school. By providing these extra courses, we will ensure the absolute best for our future. Our school should focus on providing only the best opportunities for our students. 

While the school should work on providing our students with the best course opportunities, it should also focus on improving their current classes. Little things such as improving equipment, setting up more field trips, organizing guest speakers for students pursuing careers in the classes they are taking, and gathering the opinions of previous students who took those courses would significantly improve our CTE program. 

By investing in our CTE programs, we can provide our students with the best possible equipment, helping them become more engaged and invested in their future.

In addition, organizing guest speakers and additional field trips will provide our students with accurate information about their potential career pathways. With these investments, our students will acquire and develop the knowledge and skills they need in the workforce and be able to pursue their professions. 

On average, the Rialto Unified School District receives 452 million dollars a year. These expenses cover salaries, buildings, transportation, food services, general classes, and CTE. With this information, our school district should be able to introduce new CTE classes for our students. 

Outside sources from the “U.S government accountability office" state that “CTE enables high school and college students to pursue in-demand occupations such as manufacturing jobs, and provides employers with trained workforce.” This demonstrates that our CTE programs play a huge role in our students' future careers and set them up for success. An additional external source from “advanced CTE” states that “providing high-quality CTE requires robust, sustained funding designed to be responsive to both the rapidly evolving needs of industry and the diverse needs of learners.” 

This goes to show that our CTE programs are crucial and provide structure and knowledge for our CTE students. These classes don’t just provide fun and entertainment; they’re also designed to be flexible and advance our students. 

Which is why Rialto High School should deeply consider not only investing in our classes, but also evolving. Today's workforce has evolved significantly in just a few years, and our schools should adapt to the job market and provide the best opportunities for America's future. The world that we live in and surrounds us is constantly advancing and expanding; why should we not do the same for our students?