Heartfelt thanks to all who participated in yesterday's CTE millage election. After passage had been confirmed by election officials last night, Clare-Gladwin RESD Superintendent Sheryl Presler issued the following statement:

"We are excited by the new possibilities for CTE students that have been assured by voters today, and grateful for their faith in the program which has had such a dramatic impact on the careers of thousands of our local high school students. We were fortunate to utilize the expertise and elbow grease of staff and volunteers in each of our five local school districts to ensure voters across the two counties had a keen understanding of CTE and its importance to our schools, communities and employers. We are profoundly grateful for all who helped with the information campaign.

With the assurance of financial stability for the CTE program, we can now go about the business of making long-overdue improvements to our existing classes, as well as implementing in-demand new ones. We will offer both Welding and Business Management for the upcoming school year, as well as begin the process of establishing a permanent home for our Construction Trades program and providing financial relief to local school districts as it relates to transportation costs and tuition. We also want stakeholders to rest assured we'll continue our valuable dialogue with local employers, striving to meet their workplace needs with well-trained, motivated young workers.

The future for CTE students is bright and loaded with potential, and whether they go to college, go to work or both, our students will enter those chapters of their lives on solid footing and with marketable skills they can use the rest of their lives."