Career readiness improves at East Union

AFTON - Performance profiles show in previous years, East Union has struggled to ready students for live outside of graduation, either in post-secondary education or career readiness.

At last Monday’s East Union School Board meeting, Counselor Sara Thompson reported on the district’s Career and Technical Education team’s District Career and Academic Plan. The DCAP aims to improve career development and academic plans within students’ secondary education.

In the 2024-25 school year, DCAP received a score of 11 out of 36 possible points. Thompson said the original plan, established in 2023-24, was a solo project done herself, with the CTE then expanding in recent years as teams trained with local AEAs on how to report and improve the plan.

“Almost every district in the training wasn’t happy with their score either, so it seemed like kind of a statewide thing,” Thompson said.

As part of the revised plan for the 2025-26 school year, a required goal was set. For East Union, their goal was to have at least 70% of the class of 2026 graduating seniors have a minimum of one post-secondary opportunity by the time they graduate.

“I’m happy to say that as of [April 20], 81% of our seniors have at least one post-secondary opportunity that they can put on their resumes,” Thompson said. “I’m hopeful that that number’s going to grow by the time we hit graduation in a month.”

These include industry-recognized credentials such as quality of care of animals, OSHA certification, child development associate certification, ServSafe food safety and other work-based learning experiences and internships. Students who also enrolled in Southwestern Community College classes during the year qualified for this goal.

Thompson said she was proud of the progress made and will continue working with teachers in the district to expand the program.

“We’re super excited that the team is growing and it’s not just myself and the principal anymore,” she said.

In other East Union school board news...

Lunch and breakfast prices were increased for the next year. Staff and student breakfast was hit the hardest, with 50 cents added to meals. The last time prices increased was in 2024.

Changes are as follows:

Student breakfast, K-12 — $2.50 (from $2.00)

Student lunch, K-5 — $3.00 ($2.85)

Student lunch, 6-12 — $3.25 ($3.00)

Adult breakfast — $3.00 ($2.50)

Adult lunch — $5.15 ($5) (price is set by the School Nutrition Association)

The former Afton Care Center, converted last year into East Union’s Infant Toddler Center, will receive another change as the west wing of the building, previously unused, will now be the home of a new wrestling area. Up to $200,000 was approved to be utilized for the renovation of the area for the new athletic and wrestling space.

While plans are still far out, the approval now sets the project in motion. During Monday’s meeting, the board tabled the approval of a quote for wrestling mats in the building and will revisit them during May’s meeting on Monday, May 18.

A technological refresh was approved, with 150 student Chromebooks purchased for grades three through five for $60,150. The school’s administrative department received three replacement desktop computers for $6,294. Other areas of the school will receive a refresh over the next few years.

The school calendar has been approved for the 2026-27 school year. Students’ first day of school will take place Tuesday, Aug. 25. Winter break will take place from Dec. 24 through Jan. 4, 2027, and spring break from Mar. 12 through Mar. 21. The last day of school will be on May 21, 2027.

With a 2% state-supplied aid rate approved for next year, East Union’s board approved the certified budget for the next fiscal and school year. The levy rate will decrease in 2027, lowering about 73 cents to $15.56482 per $1,000 of taxable valuation from the prior year’s rate of $16.30355.

The board allowed for student-led fundraising for an educational trip to Puerto Rico scheduled for July 2027 to take place during school events. Participants fully fund the trip’s travel expenses.

A transfer of $3,913.32 from the school’s general fund to the activity fund was approved to cover the expenses of recent football helmet purchases.

Two students were approved for early graduation at the end of the first semester of the 2026-27 school year.