Guam's Career Tech Charter School eyes regional expansion

By Jayvee Vallejera

Career Tech High Academy Charter School is headed for another six years of operations following its charter renewal, with plans to expand to the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau and Chuuk.

Wil Castro, school principal, said the proposed regional expansion is among Career Tech's long-term plans as it continues to grow.

Other plans include building a college pipeline, expanding advanced placement offerings and broadening career and technical education programs in areas such

as marine repair, 3D printing, metal fabrication artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

“I feel validated and I feel hopeful because we have a secure extension to continue to do innovative and great things together again as a school community, as a learning community,” Castro said, following the Guam Academy Charter Schools Council's unanimous approval of Career Tech's renewal petition.

He said the charter renewal is especially significant because of the demands placed on the school’s educators and the challenges faced by many of its students.

Staff members often go beyond their normal duties to support students academically, socially and personally, he added. 

“And so everything we did was validated by the confidence the council has made manifest in a unanimous vote," Castro said. “For me, this is by far the hardest job I've ever had and it is by far the most fulfilling.”

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At the hearing held Thursday at Career Tech campus in Hagat, Evangeline Cepeda, the council's chair, raised three questions regarding student achievement, future growth and prior audit findings.

Career Tech’s presentation emphasized student achievement beyond traditional academic measures. Castro cited attendance gains among students dealing with challenges at home, as well as their participation in athletic, maritime activities and other hands-on programs.

Students demonstrated their paddling and sailing skills on traditional outrigger canoes and modern vessels along Hagat Bay in the presence of the council's five members.

Castro pointed out that physical activities demonstrating skills, confidence and learning might not be entirely captured in writing.

“But they saw it with their own eyes. We intentionally had the students demonstrate those skills with our vessels in the water before the meeting so that it would serve as proof and evidence of student learning,” he added.

The school has expanded from having zero sports programs to having 12 in less than two years, according to Castro.

First chartered in October 2020 under the Guam Academy Charter Schools Act, Career Tech offers high school education that combines career and technical education, indigenous education and college preparation. Its charter will expire on Oct. 5.

Charter schools are publicly funded schools that operate independently from the local public school system and use flexible educational models. 

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Career Tech plans to open a training center in central Guam in October to provide internship preparation and debriefing, résumé-writing assistance and life-skills training.

Career Tech is petitioning the Guam legislature to raise its enrollment cap and per-student funding.  “We are at maximum capacity in terms of the authorized number of students who can enroll,” Castro said.

He said Career Tech has been bumping against the 200-student statutory cap as it posted a 60-plus percent compounded annual growth rate over the years.

“That means that we've been growing on average by 60 percent or better every year until the cap," he said. “There is a demand for the training and education we provide.”

The school currently receives about $7,800 per student, or about $1.56 million annually at full enrollment, Castro said.

In contrast, the per capita for Guam Department of Education students is somewhere between $10,000 and $14,000, Castro noted.

“You can easily see that we're funded at less than 60 percent of GDOE’s per capita. That's not a complaint. It is a petition for us to have a little more resources so we can do a lot more for our students in this community,” he added.

Castro also addressed audit findings from prior years. He said the school is working with Ernst & Young, the Office of the Public Auditor, the Department of Administration and the Guam Academy Charter Schools Council to reconstruct records and strengthen financial reporting.

He said Career Tech has added internal training, assigned a staff member to support accounting and audit work and hired a certified public accountant to review and prepare financial statements.

The school aims to solve prior audit issues and bring records up to standard by June 2027.

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