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MILL HALL -- The Keystone Central School District Board of Directors and administrators are looking into how it can support students involved in SkillsUSA for the upcoming school year.
At its work session last week, the board heard a presentation from SkillsUSA Advisor Ashley Brungard, a childcare instructor in the district's Career and Technical Education (CTE) center. Brungard was joined by two other CTE instructors who assist with the program, Health Occupation Instructor Cassie Carson and Culinary Arts Instructor Candice Grimes.
Prior to the presentation, Automotive Instructor Ryan Broughton -- who submitted a letter requesting funding for SkillsUSA and other CTE programs such as Future Farmers of America (FFA) -- explained why he submitted the letter on behalf of the programs.
Broughton said programs like SkillsUSA and FFA are mandated clubs, required by the state Department of Education to permit CTE programs in districts.
He continued, noting funding for SkillsUSA and FFA was not included in the 2026-2027 budget.
"I saw a need. The district does a pretty good job of supporting our athletic competitors -- they have uniforms, we send them to games. But we also have competitors in these programs -- students that go to district competitions, state competitions and national competitions. And they have a history of performing really well and adding positive value to our district. The letter was looking for some financial support for those clubs," he said.
Broughton said the district funded a portion of the clubs in past years, but not for the current year which creates hurdles for advisors and students alike.
"That puts a pretty big burden on the advisors of those clubs to raise those funds, to support these students in the competition arena," he said.
Brungard's presentation touched on the impact of the SkillsUSA program on students along with the financial costs associated with competing on a district, state and national level.
She noted last year, the district paid for students to attend districts and states, but those who moved to nationals had to pay their own fees. Advisors typically cover their own fees for competitions to avoid financial strain on the district or fundraised dollars, she said.
"SkillsUSA is the number one work force ready program available for students. There's about 450,000 students involved nationwide," Brungard said. "Here we have 110 students who are in the club this year, from 13 of our programs. That does not include natural resource management and ag mechanics because they participate in FFA."
Brungard explained SkillsUSA has a membership fee of $18 per student, which is covered by a student or family leading into the competition year.
Currently, the club is looking toward its district six competition at Pennsylvania College of Technology in January.
"We have 41 students already gearing up to participate in the competition. They will participate in 30 different competitions (that) range from precision machining to career pathways to CPR and first aid to baking and pastry," Brungard said. "There's a wide range of all those competitions and students are very excited about getting there and taking part in that."
However, that will come at a cost of $20 per student, she said.
With competition fees and transportation, Brungard estimated is will cost about $1,300 to take part in the district level alone.
In total, she told the district it cost just over $26,000 for the competition year in 2025-2026.
Carson noted some of that money is raised through a variety of avenues -- from spaghetti dinners, chicken barbecues, sandwich sales and even classroom-based snack sales.
"We have already started (fundraising) this year. We've set up community nights with restaurants. We have a cash bingo set up for February. In two weeks we start an email drive, where the students bring email addresses or phone numbers to send out to family members in the hopes of getting just cash donations," she said.
Before the presentation was concluded, Board President Elisabeth Lynch asked what the clubs -- both SkillsUSA and FFA -- would need to ensure they are able to participate in this year's competitions.
"I don't need any convincing, I think we all support your program if I can speak on behalf of the board," Lynch said.
Brungard emphasized the club does not expect to receive full funding from the district.
Broughton said the district previously allocated $15,000 to assist both clubs. He added FFA's costs from the previous year were about $7,000.
Following clarifying questions from Business Manager Joni MacIntyre, she told the board she could review the budget and see what would be possible.
"I think I have enough information I can take it back and see what the budget could allow," MacIntyre told the board.