Ottawa County education
Ottawa County Schools: Building More Paths to a Good Future
What comes after graduation? A student should have a useful answer before the last day of high school.
On the Allendale school board, I led the Early College Initiative, giving students a path to begin college in their junior year and graduate with an associate degree from MCC. That’s the kind of concrete opportunity I want more families to have.
College, a trade, an apprenticeship, a job with training. Students need good choices, and the choice should be theirs.
Give students a chance to try the work
Career and technical education can let a student earn a credential, get hands-on experience, or discover that a career fits them. Work-based learning can also answer a question that matters before a family commits to years of tuition: do I want to do this for a living?
Ottawa Area ISD’s expansion plans include nine new programs and roughly 30% more enrollment capacity. During the 2023–24 school year, more than 1,000 Careerline Tech Center students participated in work-based learning with local employers. Those are opportunities worth building on.
OAISD’s Early College program offers another route, combining high school with college coursework through Muskegon Community College. Its program covers required college costs and textbooks. Families should be able to understand how that option works alongside four-year college, certificates, and apprenticeships.
Make the choices easier to reach
Schools need equipment, instructors, planning time, and employer partners to offer useful career pathways. Students also need transportation and counseling that helps them understand the options. A program does little good if a student can’t reach it.
I’ll work to strengthen those connections and make career exploration available before senior year. OAISD’s futurePREP’d and Career Camp show ways to help younger students try out interests and solve real problems.
Students with disabilities need a path after school, too. Transition services should help them move toward employment, further education, independent living, and participation in their community.
I want every student to leave school with a next step they understand and a fair chance to take it. That’s what these opportunities are for.