Lee Lauds York Institute Programs As A “Model” For Districts Statewide

Governor Bill Lee paid a visit to York Insititute Thursday morning celebrating the school’s strong CTE and agriculture programs.

Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn called the school a “national model” for all the programs they offer. Lee said that he couldn’t agree more.

“There are so many things happening there,” Lee said. “You see kids developing a beef cattle program from conception frankly, with those calves that they had there to a slaughterhouse and beef production and they’re going to sell it to their community.”

Lee was able to visit the campus farm, which breeds goats, cows, chickens, and most recently quail. Students guided Lee through the process of artificially inseminating a cow, which is a portion of the agriculture program.

Lee said over the last four years, York has developed a very strong CTE and agriculture program. He said the job opportunities that these kinds of programs provide for students are remarkable.

“It’s exciting to see, it is a model, those kids are excited about it and it was fun to see them,” Lee said. “They’ve got jobs paying $18 and $19 right now while they’re in high school working on their dual enrollment degrees. So it is a model, and it can work in districts across the state.”