State Rep. Takac visits KCSD
BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP, PA – State Rep. Paul Takac (D-82) requested a meeting with school district leaders in the Keystone Central School District to discuss educational trends and programming. Takac is a first-term state House member whose Centre County district includes Liberty and Curtin townships, part of the Keystone Central district. With over 980 square miles, the district spans most of Clinton County along with a portion of Centre and Potter Counties.
Superintendent Dr. Jacquelyn Martin welcomed the request and organized a visit to the Central Mountain High School and the KCSD Career & Technical Center. CTC Director Kurt Lynch and students Gavin Kerstetter, Hunter Jeirles and Hailey Peters along with Dr. Martin engaged in two-way dialogue on school district initiatives.
Dr. Martin shared the newly developed “Keystones for Success” which are skills and attributes needed (in addition to core academics) for all students to be prepared for their future. The four “Keystones” include Responsible Citizen, Effective Communicator, Creative Problem Solver, and Respectful Collaborator. Relevant learning experiences provide the opportunity for students to grow these skills and measure them through assessments and a culminating Capstone Graduation Project. Additional topics of discussion included the excessive regulations for CTC hour requirements for students and avenues to become a CTC-certified educator. Other education issues included school facility and maintenance challenges for rural districts along with the dire need for updated charter funding legislation to help keep local taxpayer dollars in the district.
The students gave a tour of all eleven CTC programs and Rep. Takac was able to
see the active engagement of students. He was impressed with the interactive engagement of
students and the innovative projects that students shared with him which included a fire safety
structure for a local park and a student created aquaponics system that is using water
conservation and fish to successfully grow fresh vegetables and herbs for the Culinary Arts
Program. “I really enjoyed seeing the Career and Technology Center in action. I’ve spent my
career working with schools and am convinced that investing in education at all levels, including
high quality career and technical education, is critical to the future success of individuals,
communities, and our Commonwealth as a whole. You really see the energy and enthusiasm of
these young people. And most importantly, they clearly know their stuff. They are gaining real
world experience and valuable credentials that will help them get ahead. We owe it to them –
and to the dedicated educators who make it all possible – to support and invest in these
programs and ensure that every student has the tools and resources they need to succeed.”
District leaders said they are encouraged by Rep. Takac’s desire to focus on the importance of education in Pennsylvania. Mr. Lynch noted that, “Rep. Takac has a genuine interest in Career & Technical Education. He sincerely understands the relationship between program offerings, each student’s experience in these programs, and ultimately how these programs feed pipeline to the workforce and economic development”.
