See the Early Childhood / Great Start Collaborative State of the Community report on this page, after the ISD overview
30 years of Career and Technical Education in Char-Em ISD!
There continue to be many uncertainties in the world of education, but one constant supported by our regional communities is Career and Technical Education, also known as the skilled trades or vocational education. For 30 years, our region has generously supported CTE programming across the 11 public school districts in Charlevoix, Emmet, and northern Antrim counties – and the initiatives keep growing!
Char-Em ISD Career Tech begins with fun experiences for our littlest learners, with hands-on activities such as touring career vehicles. In grades K-8, students can participate in Career Academy for Kids summer camp, which offers a dozen classes from STEM to photography, small engine repair to cooking. Each June, 8th-11th graders can enroll in one of five focused camps: Cosmetology, Public Safety, Lineworker, Taxidermy, and Welding; and 6th-10th graders can enroll in the Construction Technology Academy. These hands-on camps are an excellent introduction to high-demand career fields.
If you have K-8th graders in Char-Em, they likely have had a visit from Char-Em Street STEM and our mascot, Eureka! This unique mobile STEM trailer visits thousands of students each year, bringing them the latest gears, gadgets, and gizmos to develop skills and interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) fields.
When it comes to high school CTE programs, Char-Em ISD’s offerings are second to none. Instead of a regional career tech center where students would travel to each school day, our 1,000-square-mile ISD required us to do things differently. Char-Em offers its courses in local high schools which are available to any student, in any district. By design, this consortium allows local communities the ability to provide programs that are essential for their economies. Petoskey High School, for example, offers Automotive, Business Administration and Management, Construction Trades, Culinary Arts, Digital/Multimedia Design, Drafting and Design Technology, Health Occupations, and Marketing Sales and Service.
Throughout the ISD, we offer 23 unique programs taught in more than 50 classrooms in each of our 11 partner school districts. From Aviation to Linework to Woodworking, programs prepare students for in-demand careers and allow them to earn industry certifications and credentials, including their private pilot’s license! Learn about all CTE programs online.
Career tech staff create numerous additional opportunities for students year round, like MiCareerQuest, a huge hands-on career expo for 9th graders; Career Tech to Careers signing events, recognizing the critical role of the skilled trades; and the annual CTE banquet for student recognition. We’ve brought back Work-Based Learning (aka Co-op), in partnership with Northwest Michigan Works!, for students to work during high school for an hourly wage and credit toward graduation. Local businesses get workers and students earn valuable skills and a paycheck during the school day.
Our career prep specialists and job coaches work one-on-one with students to change trajectories and lives. A summer work program for students with disabilities provides opportunities for experience and income that might otherwise not be an option. Each year, dozens of students take college, trade school, and business tours with our team to open up eyes and ideas for career possibilities.
Collectively, more than 80 percent of high school students in Char-Em ISD have taken at least one CTE class in high school – one of the highest concentrations of CTE students in the state. Of those students, 80 percent go on to enroll in college or trade school after graduation.
Char-Em ISD Career and Technical Education is supported by a millage that is up for consideration by voters every 4 years. The next request is on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. The first millage was approved by voters in 1996, demonstrating that for three decades our residents continue to understand the critical role of the skilled trades in every-day life.
Thanks to creative and meaningful relationships with business and industry leaders around the region for the last 30 years, our students are being prepared for real-world, meaningful careers post-high school.
Please visit our website, www.charemisdcareertech.org, Char-Em’s YouTube channel, and our Facebook page to watch the newest CTE videos highlighting each program in our series, “CTE in 90 seconds!” Additional information about the May 2026 millage can also be found on the website.
Scott Koziol,
Superintendent, Char-Em Intermediate School District
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State of the Community – Early Childhood and the Great Start Collaborative
In 2025, the Great Start Collaborative (GSC) laid deeper and wider roots, enhancing connections, communication, and collaboration to ensure families with young children were aware of and had access to the necessary resources and supports to enable optimal child development.
After 20 years of operation and support, in October 2025 GSCs across the state were eradicated from the state of Michigan budget. While many GSCs have since dissolved, with the support of Charlevoix-Emmet Intermediate School District and private philanthropy we have continued essential services and supports for local families. We are committed to continuing operations through June of 2026 while we work to establish a funding and sustainability plan thereafter.
Our commitment continues to removing barriers for families in Northwest Michigan while working to increase access to maternal and infant health services, developmental screening, assessment, and early intervention; supporting high-quality childcare and preschool; and providing early literacy resources, supports, and offerings.
Highlights of our work include:
- Becoming the first certified HOPE Inspired Organization in the state of Michigan and the 7th in the nation.
- Offering HOPE: Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences and Strengthening Families Protective Factors education for parents, caregivers, and professionals.
- Offering Perinatal Substance Use Disorder Harm Reduction Training.
- Leading Help Me Grow Char-Em: connecting families with young children to free and accessible developmental screening tools and providing care coordination – connecting them to available resources and supports.
- Developing an early childhood calendar of events and offerings.
- Developing a local guide to preschool and child care programs.
- Distributing more than 14,154 new and gently used children’s books.
- Hosting local early literacy events, including free monthly family adventures.
Beyond the collaborative, the state of Michigan’s Great Start Readiness Program/PreK for All holds a strong presence in the community and continues to expand. Currently, more than 380 children are being served in one of the 31 state-funded classrooms throughout our region. These classrooms are located within community-based organizations, public school academies, and local school districts. The program boasts a developmentally appropriate curriculum and environment with implementation of evidence-based strategies that build children’s social-emotional development and literacy.
For more on our current work, efforts, initiatives, and offerings, please visit https://greatstartcollaborative.org/collaborative
Please join us in advocating for our youngest children and families, and the need for statewide early childhood systems-building bodies that support families’ needs.
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Note: Each year, Char-Em ISD provides a “State of the Community” report to area chambers of commerce for their annual event highlighting organizations in the region.