we could put four teachers there, so they’d get their four cores with a regular teacher. They’d have an administrator.They’d be close to our new CTE center, so they could take dual enrollment CTE, all of those things,” Frisbie conveys. “That committee has been formed. Hopefully, the biggest thing will be finding the site and then we go from there.” Gladwin currently offers 13 Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs in partnership with local businesses. Mausolf expands on the benefits of these opportunities.“Students can spend a portion of their day shadowing people, learning the ins and outs of a job,” he explains.“With this they can decide if that is, in fact, the career path they want to follow and if it is, then they build those necessary skills so they’re able to have a leg up on other candidates when they complete school.” Hale underscores the enthusiasm of community businesses who are eager to participate. “We have a local lumber yard and a construction company that has kids every year. We have medical facilities. We have PT, restaurants, anything in the community, they’re very open to taking students on.” The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has been a particularly strong partner for the district. Frisbie elaborates, “We have kids that work with the DNR. They go to the river, they do research, they plant trees for the DNR. We raise trout at the high school. So that’s a really strong part of the work study program as well.” INVESTING IN THE FUTURE On the facilities side, Gladwin has been careful with its resources. “When I took the position, we had a 55% fund balance, which, that’s unheard of, and very good,” touts Frisbie. By investing some of those funds, the district has generated significant returns. “We made $250,000 the first year and last year, and this year, I would expect, if rates are the same, to make about $400,000 on some of that money,” he continues. At the same time, the district is looking ahead to bond financing to address secure entryways, parking, and the remodeling of a 90-year-old junior high school. As a school of choice district, Gladwin has seen an increase in enrollment, another reason for 199 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 10 GLADWIN COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
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