This story was produced as part of ThreeSixty Journalism’s 2026 Capitol Reporting Workshop for Minnesota youth, with financial support from the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation.
The Daily Pivot: A New Path for Modern Students
Every day, as the clock strikes 11:30 a.m., Dah Htoo undergoes a daily transition that separates him from the traditional high school experience. While his peers at Johnson Senior High School on the east side of St. Paul are heading toward the cafeteria or their next core academic lecture, Htoo is heading to his car. He drives six miles north to the Finishing Trades Institute of the Upper Midwest, a facility that serves as the bridge between his teenage years and his professional future.
For Htoo, a senior, this isn’t just a field trip or an elective; it is his primary focus. Through the Finishing Trades program, Htoo earns high school credit while gaining hands-on experience in the construction industry. "Right now, we’re doing drywalling," Htoo says, noting the professional rigor of the curriculum. "We do the process exactly how somebody would do it if they were working in the trades full-time."
Htoo’s trajectory is a stark departure from the conventional narrative that pushes all students toward a four-year university degree. For years, Htoo felt disconnected from the traditional academic path. He never envisioned himself in a lecture hall, and for a long time, he felt stifled by the lack of viable alternatives. It wasn’t until a chance encounter in a school hallway—where Mary Voigt, the Career Pathway coordinator at Johnson, found him skipping class and invited him to explore a trade program—that he realized his potential didn’t have to be defined by his performance in a standardized classroom.
The Evolution of Career and Technical Education (CTE)
The shift in Htoo’s educational journey mirrors a broader, tectonic change occurring within Minnesota’s K-12 landscape. Mary Voigt, who began observing a disconnect between traditional school offerings and student engagement shortly before the pandemic, realized that for many students, the "college-for-all" mantra was failing to resonate.
"It was really clear that families didn’t see any value in the traditional school model," Voigt explains. "I started to ask myself: ‘Why would they care about school? What are we actually offering them?’"
This realization led to a reinvigorated focus on Career and Technical Education (CTE). CTE programs are designed to provide students with industry-recognized credentials and real-world work experience, transforming the school day from a series of "hoops to jump through" into a practical roadmap toward long-term career goals. At Johnson High, students can now specialize in fields ranging from health sciences and engineering to education and business.
A Chronology of a Shifting Mindset
The movement toward vocational training is not new, but its urgency has intensified in the post-pandemic era.
- Pre-2020: CTE programs existed but were often viewed as a "Plan B" or vocational tracks for students who struggled in traditional academics.
- 2020-2022: The pandemic caused a massive shift in how students perceived the value of their time, with many questioning the relevance of traditional schooling.
- 2023-2024: Educators began reporting higher engagement levels in schools that integrated hands-on pathways, prompting a push for state-level legislative support.
- 2025-2026: Legislators have introduced bipartisan bills aimed at modernizing funding for these programs, acknowledging that the future of the Minnesota economy depends on a pipeline of skilled, trade-ready workers.
The Legislative Push: Funding the Future
Recognizing the economic necessity of these programs, Minnesota lawmakers are currently debating a bill that would fundamentally change how CTE is funded. The proposed legislation seeks to increase the state’s reimbursement rate for CTE programs from 35% to 50%.
State Representative Bianca Virnig, a DFLer from the Twin Cities suburbs and the bill’s author, argues that this is an investment in human capital. "The goal is to get those young people to make it through the week, the month, the year—to gain the life skills required to transition successfully into adulthood," Virnig says.
The bill is ambitious. It requires the Commissioner of Education to raise $46.5 million in each fiscal year through targeted tax allocations, and it demands greater accountability through mandatory annual reports to the Minnesota Department of Education. While Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy has expressed support for the bill’s core premise, she remains cautious, noting that "the devil is in the details" regarding how these funds will be distributed and managed across diverse school districts.
The Data Gap: High Demand vs. Living Wages
While the enthusiasm for CTE is palpable among students and administrators, the economic reality is nuanced. Proponents often tout CTE as a gateway to "high wage and high demand" fields. However, data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) suggests that the road to financial stability is not always direct.
According to a 2024 DEED study, the average graduate of a CTE program does not immediately achieve a "living wage"—defined by the state as the income necessary to cover basic expenses—within the first five years of their career. Using the MIT Living Wage Calculator as a benchmark, the living wage in the Twin Cities metro area is approximately $48,500 per year. Currently, only graduates of international business CTE tracks are consistently exceeding this threshold shortly after graduation.
Critics of the current system point to this data to suggest that while CTE is excellent for graduation rates, it may need to evolve further to ensure that the jobs students are trained for provide true long-term economic mobility.
Success Beyond the Paycheck: Student Retention
Despite the wage concerns, the academic impact of CTE is undeniable. A 2025 study from the Minnesota Department of Education found that 92% of students who enroll in two or more CTE programs graduate from high school—a figure that stands 8% higher than the statewide average. For many, CTE is the "hook" that keeps them in the building.
Anna Warren, a student at Highland Park Senior High School, highlights a persistent issue: awareness. "I know there are a lot of opportunities, but they aren’t very well publicized," Warren notes. "Students have to go hunting for these paths rather than having them presented as a primary option."
At Johnson High, Mary Voigt is working to solve this problem through aggressive communication. "I try to do an ad or a flyer once a week," she says. "I want to draw constant attention to career pathways. Kids know who I am, and they know what these programs are. It’s been successful because it’s consistent."
Implications for the Future
The implications of the current CTE debate are significant for Minnesota’s future. If the state successfully increases funding and improves transparency, it could effectively rebrand vocational training as a prestigious and viable alternative to a four-year degree.
For students like Dah Htoo, the impact is already felt. He is not interested in sitting in an office or typing at a desk all day. He finds pride in the tangible results of his labor. "I just want to do something productive and hands-on," he says. With his sights set on a career in construction or welding, Htoo represents a generation that is rejecting the binary choice between "academic success" and "trade work."
Ultimately, the success of CTE in Minnesota will depend on the ability of lawmakers to balance funding with quality control, ensuring that programs not only keep students in school but also provide them with the skills to thrive in a rapidly changing economy. As the state legislature continues to deliberate, the message from students is clear: they are ready to work, they are ready to learn, and they are looking for a system that recognizes the value of their unique skills.
