Rochester Public Schools awarded $1 million for new career readiness program

Rochester Public Schools will be the first school district in the state to launch a collaborative educational model that allows students to earn a two-year postsecondary degree or industry credential before the time they leave high school.

In a news release sent out Wednesday, the district announced it received a $1 million grant from the Minnesota Department of Education to fund the design and opening of the first Pathways in Technology Early College High (P-TECH) program in Minnesota. The P-TECH model gives students high school and college-level coursework, in addition to mentorship, worksite visits, and paid internships.

“P-TECH 535 is just one more way that we are working to meet the needs of our students in Rochester Public Schools,” said RPS Superintendent Michael Muñoz. “Our vision for our P-TECH graduates is that they have the academic and professional skills required to either continue their education in a four-year postsecondary institution or secure employment into entry-level careers in one of our two pathways.”

Computer Information Systems and Licensed Practical Nursing will be the two pathways initially offered in Rochester. IBM and Mayo Clinic have already signed on as community partners; the district says they are still looking for more partners to join them.

The program runs from grades 9-14, but allows students to move at their own pace. If a student wants to move ahead in the program, they can finish with an associate’s degree in as little as four years.

Carla Nelson, a Republican state senator for Rochester, sponsored a bill in 2019 that would have authorized state funds to create P-TECH schools across the state. The bill had bipartisan support, but never made it out of committee.

In a 2019 article about the bill, Med City Beat interviewed Sen. Nelson about the program. She said the P-TECH program would address Minnesota’s “workforce crisis,” plus help ease the financial burden on Minnesota’s college students taking out hefty student loans.

“It is a model that breaks down those barriers between high school and post-high school training — something we have often tried to do and talked about, but haven’t been so successful at,” Sen. Nelson said.

There will not be a separate P-TECH building operated by the district — they say the program will follow the “school within a school” model, but the specific school has not been chosen yet. The program is expected to be up and and running by fall 2021.

Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.