As the Executive Director of the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System (CTECS), I am honored to lead this extraordinary agency during such an important time. CTECS plays a critical role in shaping Connecticut’s future workforce by providing high-quality career and technical education to more than 11,000 high school students and nearly 3,000 adult learners. Our dedicated team of educators and staff work tirelessly to prepare students for rewarding careers and meaningful contributions to their communities. We ensure our graduates are ready to meet the demands of today’s rapidly evolving industries.
Looking ahead, we see countless opportunities to grow, innovate, and strengthen our system. I look forward to collaborating with Governor Lamont’s administration, legislators, the CTECS Advisory Board, educators, industry leaders, labor unions, colleges and universities, and all our stakeholders in this endeavor. I am confident that we have the people and passion to achieve great things for CTECS students and the state of Connecticut.
Your voice matters in this journey. I encourage you to share your thoughts, ideas, and feedback as we work together to uphold CTECS’ commitment to being the state’s primary pipeline for a skilled labor workforce.
Alice Pritchard, Ph.D.
Executive Director Communications
As I complete my first year as Executive Director of CTECS, I want to thank all of you for your support. It’s an honor to represent CTECS and to share with others the story of our strong system, dedicated staff, talented students, committed advisory board members, and engaged stakeholders. We have much to be proud of and lots of work still to come to fully realize the potential of our system.
The need for change came across loud and clear in my school visits and administrative meetings as staff identified the need for practical solutions to everyday problems. I am pleased to report significant progress across the system. From administrative assessments and operational improvements to partnership development and program expansion, we have taken concrete steps to strengthen our schools, improve operations, and expand opportunities for students statewide. This growth reflects the hard work of our central office staff as well as the leadership teams at each school who have been willing to learn, grow, and adapt throughout the past year. With the support of all of our employees and the partnerships with our labor unions, we are making a real difference together.
Fiscal Progress and Resource Stewardship
We are laying the foundation to implement a zero-based budgeting system, slated to roll out next year. This new approach will give us a clear understanding of what we are spending in every area and allow us to allocate resources more efficiently to meet our mission.
We are working to reorganize our fiscal operations and simplify purchasing processes. We are also focused on revamping our federal grants management, an area identified for improvement in our analysis with the North Highland Consulting Group.
We’ve been working hard to analyze our spending and resources across athletics, facilities, special education, and more, and we’ve shared what we learned with the Office of Policy and Management (OPM). OPM supports the financial operations of all state agencies. With better information, they can help us make the most of what we have now and prepare for what we’ll need in the future.
We have secured generous donations from our industry partners, such as the Connecticut Construction Industries Association (CCIA) and Stanley Black & Decker, to facilitate students’ learning. We are updating our gift policies to support increased outreach to corporate and community stakeholders to seek their investments in our program and students.
Administrative Policies and Procedures
Our Human Resources, Labor Relations, Equal Employment Opportunity, and Legal staff have been analyzing their processes and making changes to improve timeliness, responsiveness, consistency, and efficiency, as well as to align CTECS practices with state protocols. It’s only been a few years since the separation from the State Department of Education and CTECS has work to do to build its own foundation as a state agency. We anticipate some growing pains as we change past practices and establish new policies, but I know we’ll have stronger and more transparent processes and procedures in the future.
Capital Projects and Infrastructure
This year, we celebrated several major milestones in school facilities and sustainability. Bullard-Havens Technical High School opened its doors to students today after many years of planning and construction. In addition, our facilities team has been working to make capital improvements at schools across the state, including updates to building mechanicals, safety equipment, and athletic fields with state bond funding. We also broke ground on seven new solar energy installations across CTECS schools. These solar projects will save the district an estimated six million dollars over the lifetime of the panels, freeing up operational funds for other critical priorities.
Industry and Community Partnerships
Our partnerships are stronger than ever. We have reinvigorated our relationship with Pratt & Whitney, who recently visited Vinal Tech and CT Aero to deepen collaboration around advanced manufacturing pathways. Hartford HealthCare is engaged with Windham Tech and Norwich Tech to increase work experience and employment opportunities with the health system. We have also connected with the state’s Workforce Development Boards and American Job Centers to engage students in spring job fairs and career readiness programming.
Budding partnerships with ReadyCT! and Junior Achievement, along with collaborations with state agencies such as the Departments of Administrative Services, Developmental Services, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs, and CT State Community College and Charter Oak State College, will increase career and outreach opportunities for our students statewide.
Our work-based learning participation has grown by 40 students compared to last year at this time, a direct reflection of our collective outreach and partnership-building efforts. Thank you to everyone who helped make these connections possible.
Showcasing our Schools
Superintendent Crocco and I have been visiting schools this fall, bringing along administrative, legislative, and community partners to learn more about our programs. The visitors always walk away impressed and eager to help us grow and succeed.
Governor Lamont has visited three of our schools this year, engaging directly with students and celebrating our programs and partnerships. His continued support underscores the growing recognition of CTECS’ role in Connecticut’s workforce pipeline.
We have also brought advisory board meetings back into our school buildings, giving members the chance to see our classrooms, meet our students and staff, and experience our programs firsthand. This experience helps our two board committees focused on business and industry and career pathways to leverage their networks and experiences to support our schools.
There is strong legislative interest in expanding access to CTECS, recognizing that we receive more than twice the number of applications as available seats. We are hosting legislator visits in December and January to showcase our schools and answer questions about the needs of our students. We also meet with legislators individually to provide information related to local concerns and opportunities.
Program Expansion and Access
We continue to expand opportunities for learners of all ages. Our adult education evening program offerings have grown, particularly in manufacturing and other high-demand fields, helping adults retool for today’s workforce. We are exploring a partnership with the CT NAACP to increase training opportunities for adults in the state’s urban centers, helping them access entry-level jobs and career pathways in key industries.
We also launched a pre-apprenticeship program in Hairdressing in partnership with the CT Department of Labor, further diversifying the hands-on career pathways available to students across the state.
In collaboration with the Justice Education Center, many of our schools are participating in the Career Pathways Afterschool Program, expanding access to CTE experiences for hundreds of students statewide.
What’s Ahead
As we look to the year ahead, there is important work to be done. In particular:
- We are expanding efforts to attract student teachers to our system. In December, we will host representatives from Connecticut colleges to learn more about CTECS and explore student teaching opportunities within our schools.
- We will also submit a report to the administration and legislature highlighting program expansion opportunities, supporting continued growth and access for students across the state.
- We continue conversations with many employer partners and organizations with the goal of increasing CTE access and opportunity.
- We will continue our legislative visits, maintaining strong advocacy for the resources and recognition our schools and students deserve.
- We will continue to meet regularly with leadership from our bargaining units to identify issues and make improvements. Please share your concerns with them, and we’ll work together to make CTECS a better place for all to work.
Thank you again for your support this past year. I look forward to 2026 and our shared success!
Dr. Alice Pritchard
Executive Director
As we begin another school year, I want to extend a warm welcome back to all of our administrators, educators, and staff. Welcome especially to our new staff! I hope you found time over the summer to recharge and are looking forward to the year ahead.
At the district level, we were hard at work preparing schools for day one, with our shared goal of maximizing available resources to ensure a strong start to the year. While our budget reality remains challenging – we simply don’t have enough funding for everything we want and need- we are doing our very best with what we have, advocating for increased support, and actively pursuing additional funding sources. To help everyone stay informed, we’ve created a short overview of the CTECS budget, which I encourage you to review.
Over the summer, we also made exciting progress on several fronts:
- We held planning conversations with key partners including the CT Office of Workforce Strategy, CT Department of Veterans Affairs, the CT Department of Transportation and the CT Construction Industry Association, Bombardier, Hartford HealthCare, Junior Achievement, the Justice Education Center, ReadyCT and the state’s NAACP to deepen employer engagement and expand student work-based learning opportunities. This fall we will meet with Pratt & Whitney and Vinal Tech to explore opportunities as well.
- We launched new coursework for the C-8 Limited Electrical Sign Journeyperson license, a first in Connecticut, and hands-on training in manufacturing and welding at multiple sites, expanding our evening Adult Apprenticeship offerings.
- Policy and planning work was a major focus. We established a formal process for reviewing and updating existing policies and created new ones where needed, all of which are available on the CTECS website. Student and faculty handbooks have been updated and posted on our website as well. In addition, we refreshed our Strategic Operating Plan, aligning it with the updated District Improvement Plan.
- We began exploring ways to reimagine our Career Center to increase outreach to companies.
- We’ve reorganized our Human Resources, Labor Relations, and Legal Affairs departments to improve hiring and labor relations processes, with the goal of increasing consistency, efficiency, and speed.
- Countless administrative teams met over the summer to update practices and procedures and ensure they are implementing all of the latest state and federal policies.
I want to extend my sincere gratitude to all who have worked so hard to make these initiatives possible and to position CTECS for continued success in the year ahead.
To stay connected and informed, I invite you to visit my webpage. Recent updates include a legislative recap from the 2025 session, outlining how CTECS was impacted by new bills passed this session, as well as our annual Administrative Digest Report, which highlights key accomplishments and data from across the system. You can also follow me on LinkedIn for ongoing updates throughout the year.
I hope to see you in your buildings this fall as I host visits for legislators, business leaders, and potential partners to help spotlight your work and support our advocacy efforts. In the coming days, you’ll also hear from Superintendent Crocco about goals for the year ahead. I’m looking forward to opening schools alongside him and to an impactful, successful year for CTECS.
Dr. Alice Pritchard
Executive Director
As we close out the school year, I’m excited to share a few recent accomplishments and updates:
Accomplishments:
- Our advisory board now includes two new subcommittees:
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- Business and Industry Subcommittee, focused on building strong partnerships with Connecticut employers.
- Career Pathways Subcommittee, which will expand career exploration, postsecondary connections, pre-apprenticeships, and work-based learning.
- This spring, hundreds of students were hired at signing day events. Employers ranged from auto shops and salons to manufacturers and union apprenticeship programs. I was thrilled to participate in the Electric Boat signing day where 76 of the 170 students hired were from CTECS!
- To date, 15,394 credentials have been earned by students in grades 10-12—87% of students earned at least one.
Budget news:
The legislature and Governor’s office have finalized the budget for July 2025-June 2027. While we are grateful for their continued support, appropriations were flat, only covering our current expenditures for staff and operations. Continued advocacy will be essential to meet CTECS’ needs. Of note:
- Over the summer, I’ll be working with our leadership team to maximize our existing resources and identify ways to use federal grants where possible. We are holding back funding in a number of areas to gain a better understanding of our district needs.
- The state has included CTECS in the Bond budget to support funding for infrastructure, security improvements, and IT support and equipment.
- Funds were also allocated for capital improvements at Goodwin Tech and Platt Tech, as well as the design and construction of a new Windham Tech.
Looking ahead:
- In the coming months, we’ll be working to improve procurement processes and maximize grants to support schools. Our goal is for every classroom to be ready on day one—with software, shop equipment, and strong educational plans.
- We’ll also turn our attention to Goal 3 of our Strategic Operating Plan: expanding access to career and technical education for high school and adult learners. We’ll be conducting research for two legislative reports in this area – one on infrastructure needs and the other on programmatic needs.
Thank you again for your hard work and commitment this year. I look forward to welcoming you back in August and sharing in the exciting work we will continue together in the year ahead.
Dr. Alice Pritchard
Executive Director
I want to take a moment to share a few agency updates and accomplishments.
One of the biggest successes this year has been the continued growth of our Work-Based Learning (WBL) program. Currently, we have 1,094 students participating, a 5% increase from this time last year, and 359 of them are pre-apprentices. Some highlights include 11 placements with the Department of Transportation, 9 with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, expansion of UConn facilities department placements to additional schools, statewide recruitment with the Carpenters Union, and Electric Boat taking students for the first time.
On the admissions front, we received 3 times as many applicants as seats available for incoming 9th graders. I know many of you have asked and fielded questions about our transition to a lottery-based admissions process, and I want to reiterate why this change was made. The lottery ensures equity and access, eliminates subjectivity in the selection process, aligns with state guidance, and provides clarity for families. We are actively analyzing application data and look forward to sharing insights about our incoming class soon.
SkillsUSA was a great success this year—thank you to everyone who helped make it happen! Over 900 students competed and 75 qualified to compete in the national conference this summer. View the event album on our website.
Beyond admissions and WBL, there are several other updates to share:
- There are no new budget updates from the state at this time, but we recently attended an Appropriations Committee meeting, where we provided additional details on our funding needs. You can watch that meeting here. More news in late April on the budget front.
- On March 25, Don Poulin, Kevin McFarland and I provided testimony and answered questions at the Bonding Subcommittee meeting related to our facility needs. The Governor’s budget proposes vital resources for deferred maintenance, school equipment, and several projects including the planned new school for Windham Tech. Watch the meeting here starting at 39:00.
- I have now completed visits to all 20 schools and had the opportunity to visit classrooms and shops to talk with instructors and students. I also had the chance to talk with front office staff, counselors, special education instructors and staff, school resources officers, and administrators about the challenges and opportunities each school faces. I appreciate the thoughtful conversations and look forward to working together in the future. Thank you for the warm welcome!
- As we near the end of the school year, I look forward to attending many of our upcoming career fairs, signing events, graduations, and joining you in celebrating the accomplishments of our students.
- Finally, as a reminder, CTECS Advisory Board meetings are now available online, making it easier for staff and the public to stay informed. We are alternating between virtual meetings and in-person meetings at schools every other month, so watch for us on site or online!
Dr. Alice Pritchard
Interim Executive Director
I want to take a moment to provide some updates on recent developments impacting our system.
Earlier this month, Governor Lamont delivered his biennial budget address for fiscal years 2026-2027. Last week, I testified before the Appropriations Committee regarding the Governor’s proposed budget for CTECS. Key topics of discussion included:
- Strong legislative interest in expanding access to CTECS, recognizing that we receive more than twice the number of applications than available seats.
- The importance of maintaining strong academic programs to support career readiness.
- Budget challenges, particularly the rising costs of special education services, personnel, facilities, and operations.
The next step in the budget process is testimony before the Appropriations Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education. The final biennial budget vote is expected by the end of the legislative session on June 4, 2025. I will continue to provide updates on how this new budget impacts our system and classrooms.
Since the start of the new year, I’ve been visiting our schools and am inspired by the work happening every day. Discussions with school leaders, instructors, staff and students are helping me better understand our work and our challenges. Recently, I joined Prince Tech masonry students on a job site and participated in a collaboration between the Department of Labor and Abbott Tech’s hairdressing program, expanding pre-apprenticeship opportunities. I also am looking forward to attending the SkillsUSA competition in late March.
System-wide, we are strengthening partnerships with American Job Centers, regional workforce investment boards and the CT Department of Administrative Services to enhance student career development, hiring fairs, and summer youth employment opportunities. These are vital partnerships for our students and I appreciate the central office and school staff who are making these connections possible.
There’s so much more happening at CTECS thanks to all of you. While I can’t cover it all here, keep an eye on our social media platforms to stay connected to the daily achievements of our staff and students. I look forward to sharing more progress soon.
Dr. Alice Pritchard
Interim Executive Director
Read the testimony of Dr. Alice Pritchard to the Appropriations Committee.
Read the testimony of Dr. Alice Pritchard, Nomination for CTECS Executive Director, to the Executive Nominations Committee.
We know that recent changes to national immigration policies have raised questions and concerns in our community. Connecticut schools are legally required to educate all children, as upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States. We want to assure you that CTECS is committed to keeping our schools safe and supportive for all students, no matter their immigration status. In fact, CTECS does not track students’ immigration status.
While it is unlikely that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would come to one of our schools, we want you to know that we are prepared if it ever happens.
All staff are trained in the strong safety and security procedures that are in place in our schools. All visitors, including government officials, must follow our established check-in process. If ICE agents were to visit a CTECS school, designated school personnel are prepared to manage the situation, ensuring that district and state leaders are informed. Any actions taken would follow state and federal laws, and we would update families as appropriate. If any situation involving immigration officials occurs, we will handle it carefully and with discretion to avoid disruption to students’ education.
We understand that the current climate may be unsettling or cause concern. If you need support, please reach out to your school counselor, principal, or another trusted adult — we are here to help.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your school’s principal.
Dr. Alice Pritchard, Interim Executive Director
Freeman Burr, Interim Superintendent
Dear CTECS Team,
Happy New Year! As we step into 2025, I’m excited about the opportunities ahead and want to share some updates, good news, and plans for the months to come.
First, I look forward to visiting all of our schools in the next few months. These visits are invaluable for me to learn more about your work, the needs of our schools, and how we can continue to improve together. The visits to date have given me a chance to tour the academic and shop areas, talk with administrators, staff, and students, and hear about your schools’ accomplishments.
This semester we have exciting events coming up to support our students in securing meaningful employment in the trades. In partnership with DAS Talent Solutions, we are bringing workshops to most of our schools to showcase trade-related job opportunities available within state agencies. Plans are also underway to partner with the state’s Workforce Development Boards and the American Job Centers to engage students in their spring job fairs. In addition, a variety of external stakeholders from state agencies, community organizations, and colleges and universities have reached out declaring their interest in partnering with CTECS to bring work-based learning and employment opportunities to our students. It will be a busy spring with these activities underway and I look forward to sharing the results in future communications.
Another highlight is the upcoming regional SkillsUSA competitions. These events celebrate the talent and skill of our students, and I’m looking forward to seeing their dedication and accomplishments in action.
For increased transparency, we’ll begin sharing CTECS Advisory Board meeting videos on CTECS’ YouTube channel starting with our January 22 meeting. This will provide everyone with better access to updates and decisions affecting our system. We are also pleased that we’ll begin hosting every other board meeting at one of our schools with opportunities for board members to talk with students and staff about their trade programs.
The Connecticut legislative session has just begun, and education is a key focus. I am proud to advocate for the needs of CTECS during this important time, ensuring our students, staff, and schools remain a priority for our state leaders. The state budget will be debated throughout the session and I will share information from the Governor’s budget address in February and deliberations by the Appropriations Committee in the coming months. In addition, on January 30, I will testify before the Executive Nominations Committee of the legislature on my nomination by the Governor to serve as Executive Director of CTECS. I am honored to be appointed by the Governor and to serve in this capacity through the rest of his term in office should the legislature confirm that appointment.
I am also pleased to report that the superintendent search, which is being conducted by the CTECS Advisory Board, is underway with interviews starting in the coming weeks and my selection announced later this spring.
Lastly, I’m happy to share that we’ve welcomed a new Director of Grants to the central office. This role will focus on pursuing funding to better support our schools and students. I am also pleased to announce plans to fill several vacant positions. In February, we’ll be joined by a new Human Resources Business Partner through DAS centralized HR services. This position will be instrumental in addressing a wide range of human resources related needs. Additionally, I will be bringing on a Chief Financial Officer and Legal Director to the central office staff later this spring to ensure we have the leadership needed for the system.
I will continue to provide updates via email in the weeks to come. Thank you for all you do to make CTECS a place of excellence for our students, adult learners, and a resource for Connecticut industry. I welcome your ideas and feedback as we keep moving forward together.
Dr. Alice Pritchard
Interim Executive Director