At the July 10, 2025, Lansing City Board Meeting, Superintendent Marty Kobza delivered a presentation on the Leavenworth County Career and Technical Education (CTE) Symposium. This initiative brings together education, industry, and postsecondary institutions to prepare students for real-world futures and meet the workforce needs of our area.
The CTE Symposium is a collaborative event uniting school districts, including Lansing, Basehor-Linwood, Leavenworth, Pleasant Ridge, and Tonganoxie, with postsecondary partners such as Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC), the University of Saint Mary (USM), local businesses, and the Leavenworth County Development Council (LCDC). Superintendent Kobza emphasized that this coalition is centered on one core mission: to build tomorrow’s workforce through aligned educational programming and community partnership.
The symposium provides a powerful platform to:
Build collaborative networks that connect K-12 educators, higher education, and industry leaders
Expand student opportunities by exposing them to a variety of career paths
Deliver real-world experiences through career-connected learning across Leavenworth County
These efforts align with Lansing USD469’s commitment to innovation in education and to supporting students as they make informed decisions about their futures.
Superintendent Kobza’s presentation outlined several high-opportunity “Programs of Need” identified through local labor market data and industry feedback. These include:
Agriculture - with a 41% increase in agricultural sales since 2017
Manufacturing and Skilled Trades - an area employing ~110,000 workers regionally, offering average wages of $25.90/hour
Healthcare and Education - the largest local employment sector, facing growing demand and teacher shortages
Logistics and Transportation - supported by over 90,000 regional warehousing jobs and robust CDL training via KCKCC and the ARES Institute
Lansing High School is proactively expanding its CTE offerings to reflect student interest and workforce needs. Future program additions will include:
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training
Construction Science
Advanced and Urban Agriculture
Welding
A new Fire Cadet Program
These additions aim to equip students with industry-recognized credentials and career-ready experiences before graduation.
Superintendent Kobza concluded the presentation by highlighting key strategies for continued cooperation:
Expansion of internship opportunities with local businesses
Transportation solutions to connect students with work-based learning sites
The development of a new KCKCC campus in Lansing will create increased access to dual-credit and technical training programs
The CTE Symposium stands as a model of what’s possible when schools and communities come together to ensure students are not only prepared for graduation, but for the future that awaits them.