$17.2 million career and technical education expansion comes to East St. Louis HS

UPDATE: March 18 - This article was updated to reflect the correct date of the groundbreaking ceremony.

East St. Louis School District will begin construction this month on a 32,500 square-foot addition to its career and technical education facilities. The project will increase opportunities for students, district leaders said.

The project, which is expected to be completed around June 2027, is primarily financed through a $17 million grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The remaining $197,627 will come from the district’s fiscal year 2026-27 capital projects budget, East St. Louis School District Executive Director of Communications Sydney Stigge-Kaufman said.

CTE Director Dekietchrich Lockett and Career Pathways Supervisor Jazlyn Stanciel-Pullium said the expansion will allow the district to advance its current CTE offerings as well as launch brand-new programs.

New programs will include heating, air conditioning, ventilation and refrigeration maintenance and machine tool technology. A dozen additional welding bays, high-tech studios for its audio/visual students, a professional-grade automotive facility and an improved facility for Electrical Trades will enhance current programs, Stigge-Kaufman explained.

While the offerings are diverse, they share common goal: Students will graduate with skills needed to enter the workforce directly or continue their education in their field, Lockett and Stanciel-Pullium said. Many CTE courses offer industry certifications and college credit.

Stanciel-Pullium and Lockett said a significant amount of research also goes into deciding on new programming, including a regular review of which fields need more workers.

“We learned that HVAC and machinery are the future,” Stanciel-Pullium said. “It’s great to add programs, but we want to add programs that students will be able to get a job in.”

The district’s current CTE space – or rather, the lack thereof – “create(s) a literal ‘ceiling’ on student opportunity,” Stigge-Kaufman said. Interested students may be turned away because there’s simply not enough space, and cramped facilities cannot accommodate all of the workstations and equipment needed to meet industry standards, she said.

“The upcoming expansion will solve this bottleneck by providing the floor space needed for advanced diagnostic bays and increased workstation capacity, ensuring every student has the physical room to master the high-tech skills demanded by today’s employers,” Stigge-Kaufman said.

Stigge-Kaufman said CTE programming plays a part in strengthening the school’s four-year graduation rate, meaning the percentage of students who enter high school as first-time freshmen and graduate on time four years later, she said.

Last year, East St. Louis Senior High School posted an 84.9% four-year graduation rate, nearing the state average of 89% according to the Illinois Report Card. East St. Louis students engaged in CTE specifically achieved a 100% four-year graduation rate, Stigge-Kaufman said.

“This milestone highlights the powerful impact of hands-on, career-focused learning that keeps students motivated, connected to school and focused on their future,” Stigge-Kaufman said. “By continuing to invest in CTE, East St. Louis School District is helping more students stay on track to graduate while preparing them for college, careers and the workforce.”

It’s not just current and incoming students who will benefit from the CTE facility expansion, Stanciel-Pullium said. Rather, she said it can have a generational impact on socioeconomic mobility.

“We are training people to not just feed their families, but to make an excellent living,” she said. “I believe that through the school we can rebuild the community.”

The district is hosting a groundbreaking ceremony for the CTE addition from 9:30 to 10 a.m. Monday, March 23, outside the west wing of the high school. Refreshments will be prepared by culinary students and the school’s drumline will perform.

This story was originally published March 18, 2026 at 5:00 AM.