The mission for the CTE programs in Whitney ISD is to prepare students to be college, career, military, and workforce ready by providing students with the instruction needed to assist them in the field of study or work they wish to enter. The vision for the CTE programs in Whitney ISD is Future Driven. 

Perkins V is federal legislation requiring states that receive federal CTE funds to align CTE programs of study to high-wage, in-demand, and high-skill occupations. The Division of College, Career, and Military Preparation has engaged members of the workforce, secondary education, and higher education to advise on the development and recent refresh of programs of study, which include coherent course sequences, industry-based certifications, and work-based learning opportunities to ensure students are prepared for high-wage, in-demand, and high-skill careers in Texas. 

Whitney ISD offers the following career and technical education programs.

• Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

  • Agricultural Technology and Mechanical Systems

  • Plant Science

  • Animal Science

• Business, Marketing, and Finance
  • Business Management
• Health Science

  • Exercise Science, Wellness, and Restoration

• Human Services

  • Health and Wellness

The top priorities for the CTE programs in Whitney ISD include:

1. Increase the work-based learning opportunities for students in WHS,

2. Give students the knowledge and skills they need to become successful workers,

3. To create and grow an interest in careers that will continue to be in high demand,

4. Increase CTE offerings at WMS that will feed into programs of study at WHS, and

5. Add additional programs of study and IBC’s according to the needs of our students and community.

2024-2025 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Consolidated Federal Grant Application
Public Notification

• Under federal and state law, children and youth experiencing homelessness have a right to a free, appropriate public education (FAPE). The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (federal law) provides assistance to states to help them ensure educational rights and protections for children and youth experiencing homelessness. This program helps State Educational Agencies (SEAs) ensure that homeless children, including preschoolers and youths, have equal access to FAPE, including a public preschool education, as provided to other children and youth.
  • Children experiencing homelessness are to be provided services comparable to those received by other students in the school they attend, including transportation services, and education programs for which such students are otherwise eligible, such as services provided under McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 or similar state or local programs and programs for students with disabilities.
  • State law also addresses the educational rights of children and youth experiencing homelessness. Texas Education Code (TEC) §§ 25.001, 25.002, and 29.153 address educational rights concerning school admission and preschool for homeless students.

• The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act (Act) provides important protections and rights for homeless children and unaccompanied homeless youth.
• The purpose of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is to identify and remove barriers for children and youth experiencing homelessness and ensure that students in these circumstances have equitable access to all available supports and resources to meet the same challenging state academic standards established for all students.

• The McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth Act provides a definition of homeless children and youths to be used by state educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs). It defines homeless children and youth to be those who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. Under the larger umbrella of lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, the law also provides several examples of situations that meet the definition. The examples include children and youths:
  • sharing housing due to a loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason;
  • living in hotels, motels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to a lack of alternative adequate housing;
  • living in emergency or transitional shelters;
  • abandoned in hospitals;
  • living in a public or private place not designated for, or normally used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
  • living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar places;
  • living in one of the above circumstances and who are migratory according to the definition in Section 1309 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 [42 U.S.C. § 11434a(2)].

• Every LEA must identify students experiencing homelessness within their district.
  • WISD will use a student residency questionnaire to help determine whether or not students qualify as homeless under the McKinney-Vento Act.
• Parents, guardians, and students can contact their district school LEA McKinney-Vento Liaison with questions on the program.
  • If you need any assistance reaching the LEA McKinney-Vento Liaison, please contact Melissa Marbut, WISD McKinney-Vento Liaison, at (254) 694-2536 or melissa.marbut@whitneyisd.org.
    • The campus nurse on each WISD campus serves as the campus liaison.
  • If you need assistance from the regional liaison, please contact Tonya Ramos, Educational Service Center, Region 12 McKinney-Vento Liaison, at (254) 297-1167 or tramos@esc12.net.

     

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Whitney ISD is a part of the Hill County Shared Services Arrangement and provides specialized learning programs and services to students with disabilities. This includes adapting the learning environment to meet the unique needs of the student and to ensure the student has access to the general curriculum. The admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee makes the decisions regarding eligibility and placement.  

For more information about services, please contact the principal of your child's school or Melissa Marbut, WISD Director of State and Federal Programs.