HOUSTON – The Spring Branch Independent School District (SBISD) is preparing to open its new Guthrie Center, a Career and Technical Education (CTE) facility that prepares students for the workforce.
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The new facility, which is scheduled to open for the 2026–27 school year, was approved by voters as part of SBISD’s 2022 bond program. The bond dedicated $290.3 million to CTE improvements districtwide, including the construction of the new Guthrie Center.
“Our vision is T-2-4, so we want every student when they graduate our school system to be prepared with either a technical, a two-year, or a four-year degree, or go into the military,” SBISD Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Blaine said. “We don’t want to ever limit that ability by what we do or don’t provide.”
SBISD introduces CTE courses in middle school, exposing students to different career paths. Freshmen and sophomores continue taking CTE courses at their home campuses, before moving to the Guthrie Center as juniors and seniors for more advanced instruction.
One of the unique aspects of the Guthrie Center is that students have the chance to serve the public through their automotive, cosmetology and culinary arts programs.
The community can enter through the “enterprise entrance” and get their oil changed, a new set of nails or enjoy lunch at the cafe.
“There’s a whole side of this where not only are our kids learning in the classroom with their teachers, but they’re practicing the service that they’re then delivering in a real-world setting so that they get accustomed to that,” Blaine said.
Speaking of teachers - students will be learning from real architects, welders, chefs, and more.
“That really lends credibility to the program,” Principal Joe Kolenda said. “Students walk in and it’s not just teachers that learned something out of a book. It’s teachers that did it.”
For more information on the Guthrie Center and its programs, click here.