Terra Linda-based career program expands with $500,000 investment

A county career technical education program based at Terra Linda High School in San Rafael is expanding in Novato with a $500,000 investment unanimously approved by the Marin County Board of Education.

The funding will support facility improvements for a new center on the Novato High School campus, according to an Oct. 20 announcement from the Marin County Office of Education (MCOE). The county office is developing the center with Novato Unified School District.

The investment comes from the county office’s county school services fund.

Since MCOE’s CTE Center at Terra Linda opened in 2023, approximately one-third of its participating students have come from Novato Unified schools, the county office said. Offering courses in Novato is intended to reduce transportation and distance barriers for those students.

The Novato classes are open to high school students across Marin County, according to Giving Marin.

“This investment is about meeting students where they are and creating more pathways for them to discover their interests, build practical skills, and envision what comes next,” Marin County Superintendent of Schools John A. Carroll said in the announcement.

This fall, MCOE expanded its Terra Linda offerings by adding Building and Construction Trades and the Car Appreciation and Preservation Program, known as CAPP, in Novato.

The construction course teaches skills including carpentry, roofing, painting and jobsite safety. CAPP covers automobile history, basic maintenance and repair, tools and shop practices, Giving Marin reported.

MCOE said its career technical education offerings serve more than 1,350 students from more than 15 schools through more than 40 programs, classes and academies.

In an earlier report published Oct. 12, Giving Marin said Shifting Gears USA and MCOE had raised $650,000 since May toward a $1.675 million goal for the Novato center. The campaign supports an all-weather outdoor classroom, renovations and equipment purchases.

Board President Curtis Robinson said the partnership illustrates how schools and community organizations can expand students’ options for further education and employment.

Additional courses may be developed based on student interest, workforce information, industry partnerships, available resources and facility capacity, MCOE said.