California rolls out career path grants to schools – nearly a year late

By Carolyn Jones (CALMATTERS) – California is poised today to announce which schools will share a windfall to bolster career paths for students – but delays and mishaps have meant that thousands of students missed the opportunity to participate. An estimated 300 K-12 schools will share $450 million to set up internships, boost dual-enrollment programs at community colleges and take other steps to connect students to high-paying jobs in health care, technology, the arts and other fields. The announcement comes after a tumultuous few months for the Golden State Pathways program, which is part of California’s broader effort to bolster career and technical education at high schools and community colleges. Alongside other investments, the program is intended to ultimately make career training available to every student. Initially created by the Legislature in 2022, the Golden State Pathways Program was supposed to roll out the following year, with schools applying for grants and the state Education Department announcing winners in January 2024. But in spring 2023, a brewing state budget deficit led some legislators to propose delaying the program and sending the money elsewhere. After protests from school districts and career education advocates, the program survived  — then faced more delays...