Why Choose KTEC?

Innovation

  • Ever evolving to meet the needs of our industry and educational partners
  • Breaking the stereotypes of industry and celebrating the dignity of work

Industry Driven

  • Earn industry credentials
  • Industry competency-based standards
  • Simulated workplace
  • Focus on Professionalism and 21st Century Skills

Technical Foundation

  • EVERY student will take introductory technical classes
  • Hands-on learning of industry skills
  • Exposure to options within Technical Career Paths

Career Readiness Skills

In addition to the technical skills learned at KTEC, the development of career readiness skills is equally important. All students at KTEC High School are expected to learn the following traits and skills:

Academic and technical skills are integrated across multi-disciplinary projects. Students will apply their skills to accomplish workplace tasks.

Students will effectively express ideas, inform others, share knowledge, and provide customer service.

Students will understand how they play a role in the success of their employer and community through personal, civic, and community actions.

By recognizing and solving problems – from small technical issues, to group dynamics, to the design of overall systems – students will persevere to solve real-world problems.

Students will develop the ability to intelligently reason through and make complex decisions.

Students will generate and share innovative and new ideas.

Leadership skills will be developed by students through real-world opportunities to ethically lead and manage.

Students will collaborate with colleagues representing various backgrounds.

Students understand how to use technology and apply it successfully in the workplace.

Students will learn to manage a personal career including understanding and meeting the expectations for professionalism and skills in the workplace.

Students will recognize the benefits of physical, mental, social, and financial well-being.

Student Experience

What students at KTEC High School Can Expect

Frequently Asked Questions

MISSION
The Office of Educational Opportunity (OEO) exists to incubate educational innovations, to improve known best practices, and to increase educational equity.

LEGISLATIVE BACKGROUND
The Office of Educational Opportunity (OEO) was created through the Wisconsin Legislature in 2015 as part of the biannual budget Act 55 and amended in 2017 to allow for statewide chartering. Statutes 36.54, and 118.40(2x) define OEO’s scope and authority. The OEO director is appointed by the UW System president.

VISION: THE WISCONSIN IDEA IN ACTION
As part of the University of Wisconsin System, OEO lives the Wisconsin Idea by incubating new educational opportunities, sharing what we learn along the way with

PK-20 stakeholders, and supporting efforts to close opportunity gaps and eliminate achievement gaps.

CORE VALUES
Innovation, Incubation, Equity, Collaboration, Integrity

Independent charter schools, sometimes referred to as 2r or 2x charter schools, are charter schools that are not authorized by a public school district. Each of the following have authority to authorize a charter school in Wisconsin:

  • The common council of the city of Milwaukee
  • The chancellor of any institution in the University of Wisconsin System
  • Each technical college district board
  • Waukesha County Executive
  • College of Menominee Nation
  • Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa College
  • UW-System Office of Educational Opportunity

The terms “2r” or “2x” refer to the section of the charter school law within s. 118.40 that grants referred to as legacy or new independent charter schools. Legacy schools are schools chartered by authorizers who had the authority prior to 2015 Act 55 (UW-Milwaukee, the City of Milwaukee, UW-Parkside, and MATC), and new independent charter schools are those chartered by an authorizer who received authority to authorize in or after 2015 Act 55 (Waukesha County Executive, College of Menominee Nation, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa College, Office of Educational Opportunity, any UW Chancellor (other than UW-Milwaukee and UW-Parkside), and any technical college district board (except MATC).

A facility will be identified during the planning year and announced when secured.

  1. Preparing teachers, school leaders, and specialized instructional support personnel, including through paying the costs associated with:
    • providing professional development; and
    • hiring and compensating, during the eligible applicant’s planning period specified in the application for subgrant funds that is required under this section, one or more of the following:
      • Teachers.
      • School leaders.
      • Specialized instructional support personnel.
  2. Acquiring supplies, training, equipment (including technology), and educational materials (including developing and acquiring instructional materials).
  3. Carrying out necessary renovations to ensure that a new school building complies with applicable statutes and regulations, and minor facilities repairs (excluding construction).
  4. Providing one-time, startup costs associated with providing transportation to students to and from the charter school.
  5. Carrying out community engagement activities, which may include paying the cost of student and staff recruitment.

Any student in grade 9-12 who is a resident of Wisconsin may be a student at KTEC High.

Since KTEC High School is a separate school from the KTEC (4K-8), there must be a separate lottery. All interested students must apply during the enrollment period established by the KTEC High School Board annually.  If more students apply than there are open spots, then a random lottery will be conducted.

When all four grades are fully implemented, there will be 156 students enrolled per grade level for a total of 624 students.

This model and mission is unique from other schools in a variety of ways. First, having 4K-8 and 9-12th grade learning communities collaborating together to focus on building technical knowledge and skills at each grade level is unique. Workforce research shows that students, especially girls and students of color, start to make decisions about their interest and abilities in math and science by the 3rd grade. Starting early in technical education is a way to increase the diversity of technical higher education degree seekers and the workforce.

Second, this model is unique because it is planned with industry and educational partners at the table from the beginning. The idea of this expansion came out of the needs for high-skilled entry level workers in Kenosha and across the country. All four career paths chosen are in high demand; therefore, there are more job opportunities available than skilled workers to fill them.

Students in the high school will earn certifications that align with competencies identified by industry in all technical classes. Students will be able to showcase these competencies in a portfolio and career fair.

While this model prepares students for postsecondary education, the focus is on students being workforce ready by integrating career readiness skills (such as creativity, communication, collaboration, and problem-solving) at the end of high school. Students will be able to prosper at jobs in high-demand, high-skilled positions.

Finally, this proposal and KTEC’s school is about returning our students back to understanding the dignity of work. If we want our economy to prosper and grow, we need individuals to pursue careers in the trades and other technical fields.

The curricular focus of the school will be on technical education for all students within four Technical Career Paths. Students will have exposure to hands-on learning, simulated workplace classrooms, the freshman and sophomore years of high school will be used to expose students to a variety of technical fields through classes, labs, and industry certifications. As they move into their junior and senior years, students will select one of four focused Technical Career Paths: Transportation, Information Systems, Building Trades, and Automation and Robotics. Each of the identified career paths was selected due to the critical needs of industry; skilled workers are in high demand within these four job sectors. KTEC, through industry partnerships, has identified the core competencies related to the skills required to perform as a productive employee in many of today’s critical jobs.

Students will continue to gain industry required skills and certifications as they complete these paths. Students also could take classes across other Technical Career Paths while still maintaining a chosen path. Technical courses will promote self-pacing when possible so that students can maximize their readiness for industry. Students will also gain valuable work experience through simulated workplace classrooms and the opportunity to participate in internships. Through our partnership with Gateway Technical College, students will have the opportunity to earn college credits in their field of study.

Students will have access to encore classes and extracurricular activities that prepare them for life after KTEC. The specific courses offered will be developed during the planning year and offered based on student interest. Extracurriculars will also be determined by student interest and advisors/ coach availability.

Charter schools are tuition free public schools.

Community Advisory Board

Governance Board

Industry partner / Mentor