OUR FUTURE: PV-TEC ribbon cutting marks beginning of new opportunity for area students

It features 22 career technical education pathways for its students to explore, growing their aptitude and knowledge across the various career fields. About 75 percent of the programs lead directly to entry level employment opportunities and many of the programs work with their counterparts at Idaho State University to help prepare students for their next step in higher education.

The technical school has been a dream of the local school district for decades and the ribbon cutting signifies not only a conclusion to all the time, effort and dedication that went into its creation but marks a new beginning for area learners as they hone their skills, grow their knowledge and work tirelessly to accel in their various career fields.

The new technical school was made possible after the district purchased the former Allstate building back in 2022 for $12.6 million. An additional $7 million was invested to fund the costs of the renovations. The district used the $6.5 million it received from the Idaho Career Ready Students grant to assist in helping cover the cost of the project. Additionally, Caldwell-based R&M Steel donated a steel frame building that was used as part of an addition to meet PV-TEC’s growing needs.

In the moments before the ribbon cutting event, school board trustee Heather Clark, state representative Dustin Manwaring and senator James Ruchti addressed the large crowd, expressing their gratitude for all the hard work of everyone involved before turning the time over to a PV-TEC student named Daxton Gunter who expressed what the school means to him.

“I am a current student here at this wonderful facility, which we call PV-TEC,” said Daxton Gunter. “Today, I would like to share my journey which PV-TEC allowed me to accomplish. I was one of the first students to attend this building last year of the first trimester. I did CNA as my first career choice and it has allowed me to gain employment straight out of high school before I even graduate. I have a stable financial job at a local skilled nursing facility here in town. I also had interest in attending college and through this facility I was able to attend pharmacy technician and get a high-paying job that relates to my final college doctorate degree here at PV-TEC. I’m really thankful for this opportunity to speak to you guys and tell you about my experience here. This is a great facility.”

The time was then turned over to the school’s principal Rhonda Naftz, who said the facility was a dream come true and will impact future generations to come long after her tenure at the technical school. Naftz spent time thanking all the building contractors that helped make the district’s vision a reality, current and former school board members, state leadership and the local teachers and counselors that made it all possible.

Naftz also reflected on the 98 percent average daily attendance rate of its learners and how so often she sees a pronounced effort from the students who put dedicated time and energy into their career pathway programs.

Attendees were then invited to join for student-led and independent tours of the facility to explore all the newest features, pose questions to faculty and student representatives and enjoy everything that PV-TEC has to offer.

Thanks to the dedication of everyone involved in the PV-TEC, the local community will thrive as it guides the next generation of nurses, programmers, engineers, designers and administrators. The future is bright thanks to these stalwart students and their shining example.