February is Career and Technical Education Month, and Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly spent part of her day Feb. 12 looking at what Suring School is doing to make sure students have the skills they need when they become part of the state’s workforce.
Underly got a tour of the new Suring Market and Agriculture Center, seeing the storefront where students sell, produce and create a lot of the inventory there, as well as checking out the crops being grown in the greenhouse area and watching fifth-grade students learn about raising trout from their high school counterparts.
She also got to see the classrooms and lab areas for agriculture, trades, and family and consumer sciences, and even got to sample some scotcheroos being cooked up by students.
Agriculture teacher Mary Smith told Underly the school is looking at how to make its existing student kitchen compliant as a commercial kitchen in the hopes of being able to offer more ready-to-eat desserts and other foods.
Suring has seen a sharp increase in the number of students earning college credits or serving in work-based learning programs. The school has 17 students participating in those opportunities this year, double the number it had in 2024-25. Suring’s dual-credit opportunities are also up from 191 to 378 credits.
Underly was surprised to learned that the school has 10 career pathways available for students, considering how small the school is. Guidance counselor Greta Reed said the school is proud of that ability.
“We work hard to try and make sure we have as many pathways for students as possible to guide them through high school and help them with their post-school planning,” Reed said. “We go to different workshops to see what we can do and what we can bring in to add to our pathways.”
Having strong programs for the FFA and Future Business Leaders of America also helps students as they’re trying to decide where they want to go in life, Reed said. However, it’s the community that helps when businesses believe in the work being done by taking on students wanting real life, hands-on experience.
“We’re really fortunate to have a lot of businesses who believe in our students going in there and learning these things firsthand,” Reed said.
Underly praised the Suring School District for being able to offer so much in the CTE fields despite being one of the smallest schools in northeast Wisconsin.
“This is one of the smaller schools that you can find, and the opportunities they’re able to provide in CTE are incredible,” Underly said. “Having 10 pathways, in and of itself, is wonderful, and there’s variety. I was really impressed by the students and how well-rounded they are.”
Having the market on Main Street that’s student-run and developed was also a highlight for Underly, noting that it’s not something she’s seen in her visits to schools.
“I haven’t seen that in any other school district, and I don’t know if it exists in any other school district,” she said. “It’s so unique where students run a store. It’s a need in the community, but they also partner with community artisans and producers to sell items. If you break it down, they’re getting the whole experience.”
One thing the superintendent would like to see improved at the state level is how schools are funded, especially with providing state aid specifically for CTE programs. Wisconsin is one of six states that does not provide CTE per pupil aid to schools.
Underly has put it in her budget recommendation for the last two budget cycles, but the Wisconsin Legislature has cut it out both times. She plans to keep pushing for it, though.
“Other states don’t have categorical aids,” Underly said. “They give their schools X million dollars, and then the school districts decide what the needs are. In Wisconsin, you have this much for special education and this much for general aids, this much for food service, or whatever. We don’t have anything dedicated for career and tech ed.”
She added it’s becoming a bigger burden for schools due to lower enrollment in most schools and lower birth rates overall, which are a result of young couples hold off on having children due to the high expense of everything.
“Our state needs to step it up,” Underly said. “When they don’t put the funding into the system, it’s not like we can close schools or shut off buildings. We have to be able to provide these services to kids.”
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
Suring School technical education teacher Mitch Szwet shows Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly a project his students are doing for school alumni who were on the football team, customizing each plaque with the alum’s class and jersey number. (Lee Pulaski | NEW Media)
Sara Knueve, left, assistant deputy superintendent for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, purchases a T-shirt on Feb. 12 at the Suring Marketing and Agriculture Center as Suring School freshmen Ruby Wichman, center, and Scarlett Olson help to check her out. (Lee Pulaski | NEW Media)
Suring School senior Garret Peters shows off the vertical growing towers in the greenhouse Feb. 12 to Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly as he talks about the numerous opportunities students who take agriculture classes get in Suring. (Lee Pulaski | NEW Media)
Gavin Staszak, a sophomore at Suring School and vice president for the local Future Business Leaders of America, shakes hands Feb. 12 with Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly before giving her a tour of the Suring Marketing and Agricultural Center. (Lee Pulaski | NEW Media)
Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly talks with Suring School eighth-grade students Gage Krueger, center, and Clark Schroeder about their seed projects during a Feb. 12 tour of the school and the Suring Marketing and Agriculture Center. (Lee Pulaski | NEW Media)
Suring School senior Garret Peters shows off the vertical growing towers in the greenhouse Feb. 12 to Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly as he talks about the numerous opportunities students who take agriculture classes get in Suring. (Lee Pulaski | NEW Media)
