What Schools Can Do
It doesn’t take a bond measure to start. It takes an administrator willing to say publicly that production skills matter — and parents willing to ask why they don’t.
Schools
“The fastest way to move a school is to ask one specific question in one specific meeting.”
This Is Not a Mandate. It’s a Gap.
El Paso County schools are not failing. They’re doing what schools are designed to do — prepare students for standardized paths. The problem is that those paths don’t include production, and production is where economic agency lives.
The ask isn’t to tear down the curriculum. It’s to add one thing: a graduation requirement — or at minimum, a visible pathway — for practical, income-generating skills. Something students can use immediately after school ends, regardless of what comes next.
What That Looks Like in Practice
A school production lab doesn’t need to be elaborate. A screen printing setup, a few sewing machines, access to a 3D printer — that’s enough to teach the fundamentals of making something, pricing it, selling it, and understanding the economics of it. The Pikes Peak Library District already has most of this equipment available to the public for free. Schools could mirror it, partner with it, or simply point students toward it.
The curriculum writes itself once the equipment is present:
- Material sourcing — where does it come from, what does it cost
- Production math — cost per unit, margin, break-even quantity
- Quality standards — consistency, repeatability, customer expectations
- Pricing and market — what buyers will pay, and why
- Output tracking — what you made, what it cost, what you earned
That’s not a vocational silo. That’s economics, math, supply chain, and entrepreneurship — taught through doing rather than theory.
What Administrators Can Do Right Now
This doesn’t require a bond measure or a district-wide initiative to start. It requires a few decisions:
A Three-Step Entry Point for Schools
One class, one school
Partner with employers
Workforce-ready diploma track
The pilot doesn’t need a budget. It needs a willing teacher, a room, and an administrator who’s willing to say publicly that production skills matter. That signal — from someone in authority — is what changes the cultural framing for students.
What Parents and Community Members Can Do
The fastest way to move a school is to ask a specific question in a specific meeting. Not a complaint — a request. “Why isn’t there a visible trades pathway at this school?” asked by three parents at a school board meeting is more effective than a petition signed by three hundred people online.
The D11 district administration directory is public. The school board meets monthly. The ask is simple and non-political: trades belong in the curriculum as a first-choice path, not a fallback. Students who want to build things deserve the same visibility as students who want to go to college.
The last article in this series describes what happens when those students graduate and find a place to show what they can produce.