Frequently-Asked Questions

Career and Technical Education. In the past, these types of programs were also called vocational training or skilled trades education.

Some larger high schools still maintain a limited number of classes like those named above. But a multitude of factors, including declining enrollment and increasing costs for specialized equipment and technology, have made offering vocational education nearly impossible for local high schools. CGRESD has been able to fill that void through the CTE program, maximizing funds while providing the hands-on, real-world training so many local employers value.

At the request of local school districts and local employers, the RESD has developed additional programs (like Diesel and Ag) and improved existing programs with state-of-the-art equipment so they mimic what students will encounter when they enter the workforce or enroll in trade schools or college programs. To maintain all existing programs with the equipment, technology and skilled instructors, continued funding at the current level is necessary. Additionally, we listen to local employers and community members, as well as monitor current employment trends, which is what led to developing our Diesel & Heavy Equipment program. The RESD needs to be poised to act swiftly and methodically if new programs are required to keep our students at the cutting edge like students in Midland and Isabella Counties, as well as other surrounding areas.

The revenue from the millage provides 55% of funding for the CTE programs for more than 390 students each year in Clare & Gladwin Counties. Without this funding, CTE programming would be drastically reduced and local districts would be faced with a significant increase in CTE tuition.

A vast majority of local CTE students attend college (53 percent in 2023), attain full-time work (88 percent) or, in many cases, both. A very small portion - about one percent - join the military. But regardless of their next stop after high school, CTE students are better equipped for the classroom and/or the workplace.

Please see the table to the right.

The audited CTE expenses for the 2023-2024 school year amounted to $4.6 million.

When we asked voters to approve the original 10-year millage in 2016, we promised to do what we said we would do while being fiscally responsible, and if we didn’t show results after 10 years, we wouldn’t expect the voters to renew the millage. Here are some of the promises we made.

• We promised to restore the Welding program; we did that in four months.

• We promised to add an Ag Science program; we did that in 2018.

• We promised to add Advanced Manufacturing; we did that in 2018.

• We said we’d build a permanent home for our Construction Trades program; we did that in three years.

• We continued to write for grant funding to supplement the millage funds; we leveraged more than $17 million in grants.

• We said we would listen to local employers when they told us what equipment students should learn on and what skills they need when they graduate; we did that and continue to do that.

• We stated that we needed a more stable location for all of our programs that didn’t have permanent homes; that becomes reality this fall.

That the existing local CTE millage didn’t pay for it, and that the renewal won’t, either. Through hard-earned collaboration, excellent timing and a ton of hard work among many interested parties all the way from here to Lansing, CTE was able to secure a $15 million grant from the Michigan Dept. of Labor and Economic Opportunity for this expansion. Obviously, the benefits this project will bring to students and the community will be game-changing for years and years to come. But voters need to understand that this state grant is paying for this building project, one time. The millage pays for essential day-to-day programming, staffing, equipment and so much more, for the next decade.

The millage on the May 6 ballot will generate an efficient-yet-affordable $363 per K-12 student in Clare and Gladwin Counties, compared with $567 for Bay-Arenac ISD; $316 for Gratiot-Isabella RESD; $485 for Mecosta-Osceola ISD; and $567 for Wexford-Missaukee ISD.

$9608 per year.

$2,250 per year, which hasn’t increased since 2022.

$6,651 in 2025-2026, or programming will be drastically reduced.

No. State law requires that these millage funds are to be used specifically and solely for CTE-related programs.

It varies depending on the local district’s transportation schedule, but on average, it’s about 2 hours and 15 minutes, or roughly a third of the school day.

Students spend part of their school day at their local high school and the other part of their day in a CTE program. Students can still participate in sports and other extracurricular activities at their school.

The Culinary Arts class has been located in several different places, for all or part of a school year, including:

• Brown’s Corner Church

• Beaverton Schools

• Mid Michigan College

• Harrison City Market

• Camp Rotary

The Magnus expansion will finally provide a permanent home for this program.

No. Clare-Gladwin RESD is one of 56 intermediate school districts in Michigan established to provide specialized services to local school districts that make economic and common sense to do collectively, like special education and CTE. While Clare-Gladwin RESD’s Area School (formerly known as the Clare-Gladwin Day School) and the RESD’s administrative building are located on the south end of MID’s Harrison campus, the two organizations are distinctly separate entities, each with its own governing board, missions, employee groups and finances.

We arrived at those decisions following years of public and internal input. There have been many community groups over the years gathered to give input into the future of the CTE program. Those groups have consisted of local folks from all different employment sectors, and many of them have visited other CTE programs. The input we’ve gathered indicates that CTE is valued in our communities, and people want us to offer quality classes for students. They want our students to have learning experiences with the latest technology using modern equipment. They want our students to wear the appropriate uniforms of the trade they’re learning. They want us to help students learn about different careers that best match their life goals and talents. They want students to spend more time learning and less time in transit from their local high school to the location of their CTE class. They’ve spoken, and we’re listening.

Classes will be held at the John C. Magnus Center, Mid Michigan College and Gladwin High School.

It does; it places a premium on experienced CTE staff members who are used to doing more with less, making things work regardless of the location or other circumstances. This speaks to how much they believe in the CTE program and how much they care for their students. They’re able to adapt lesson plans based on their location and the materials they have available. It is a situation that is far from ideal, but it’s important to the teachers that students get the best experience possible. It’s worth noting that many of our classes have participated in state competitions against their well-heeled peers from other CTEs, and it’s not uncommon for our students to finish among the top five of all competitors.

Yes, it will. Like almost all organizations in America, salaries and benefits consume the majority of the company’s revenues. Education is a labor intensive business that is based upon the positive learning/teaching relationships established between students and teachers. It’s important to note that Clare-Gladwin RESD’s CTE teachers make less than those in surrounding ISDs. While there are some classes that may be taught successfully online or to large numbers of students all at once, CTE classes are by their very nature hands-on; in some cases, dangerous equipment and tools are used on a regular basis. Safety must be the primary consideration when determining the number of students in classes that use knives and other sharp utensils (Culinary Arts) and power tools (Automotive Technology and Construction Trades). In these classes, CGRESD has two adults to properly supervise students.

Probably the same thing that would happen to any organization that loses 55 percent of its revenues: Our CTE program will look very different. Significantly, the CTE millage offsets CTE tuition costs for local school districts; without the millage, the full cost burden would shift to those districts. Over time, we’ve employed several strategies to cut expenses when revenues haven’t kept up, and every time, it’s resulted in fewer opportunities for students.

The county clerks in Clare and Gladwin Counties will make absentee ballots available no later than March 27, 2025.

If there are 15+ days before an election, voters can register online, by mail, or in person by April 21, 2025. After April 21 and on Election Day, voters may only register by visiting their local clerk’s office to register in person with proof of residency documentation.

Polls open in Clare and Gladwin Counties Tuesday, May 6 at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

• Arthur - Arthur Township Hall, 3031 S. Athey Rd., Clare

• Garfield - Garfield Township Hall, 9348 Terry St., Lake

• Surrey - Surrey Township Hall, 110 E. Michigan, Farwell

• Franklin - Franklin Township Hall, 9809 N. M-18, Gladwin

• Grant - Grant Township Hall, 3022 E. Surrey Rd., Clare

• Redding (within Marion School District) - Redding Township Hall, 8391 W. Temple Dr., Harrison

• Lincoln and Freeman - Lincoln Township Hall, 175 Lake George Ave., Lake George

• Hamilton - Hamilton Township Hall, 3042 N. Rodgers Rd., Harrison

• Winterfield (within Marion School District) - Winterfield Township Hall, 8987 Cook Ave., Marion

• Frost, Greenwood, Hatton (within Harrison School District); Summerfield, Winterfield (within Harrison School District); and City of Harrison - Hayes Municipal Complex, 2055 E. Townline Lake Road, Harrison

• Hayes Township - Hayes Municipal Complex, 2055 E. Townline Lake Road, Harrison

• Hatton (within Clare School district); Sheridan; and City of Clare - City of Clare, Pere Marquette District Library, 185 E. Fourth St., Clare

• Beaverton City - Beaverton City Hall, 124 W. Brown St., Beaverton

• Beaverton Township - Beaverton Township Hall, Corner of Dale & Townhall, Beaverton

• Billings Township - Billings Township Hall, 1050 Estey Road, Beaverton

• Buckeye Township - Buckeye Township Hall, 1498 S. Hockaday, Gladwin

• Butman Township - Butman Township Hall, 5005 N. Hockaday, Gladwin

• Gladwin City - Sacred Heart Activity Center, 330 North Silverleaf Gladwin

• Gladwin Township - Gladwin Township Hall, 200l Wagarville Rd, Gladwin

• Grim Township - Grim Township Hall, 6399 Bay-Gladwin Line, Bentley

• Grout Township - Grout Township Hall, 1490 S. Grout Road, Gladwin

• Hay Township - Hay Township Hall, 1220 E. Highwood Road, Beaverton

• Sage Township - Sage Township Hall, 1831 N. Pratt Lake Rd., Gladwin

• Secord Township - Secord Township Hall, 1507 Secord Dam Rd, Gladwin

• Sherman Township - Sherman Township Hall, 4013 Oberlin Road, Gladwin

• Tobacco Township - Tobacco Township Hall, 1826 Dale Road, Beaverton