Frisco ISD has proposed to limit the number of Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) competitors to 100, affecting students in a variety of programs. This is because of rising budget concerns for next school year, as cuts are continuously being made over concerns of declining enrollment, inflation and insufficient state funding. On Feb. 24 many students and faculty voiced their opinions on this proposal during the community input meeting.
“Currently, 1,706 students from Frisco ISD compete in BPA [Business Professionals of America] at the regional level.” FISD student, Dia Sengul said at the meeting. “But under a new rule next year, this number is going to turn into 600. Putting this into perspective, right now, only 19% of competitors currently advance the state, meaning that we have 336 members going this year.”
In recent years less than 100 students per school have made it past regionals, so this change will also make it more difficult, leaving fewer allotment spots for state competitions. A petition has been made in an attempt to change this decision, and it has already gained over 1000 signatures.
“Stifling membership and imposing quotas is only going to make our chapter less competitive,” FISD student Sai Saharsh said during the meeting.
Solutions were proposed during the meeting, some students even recommended increasing student fees to reduce district spending and increase student opportunities.
“Our solution is both straightforward and effective,” Karon Karthik said, “A modest $12 increase in district fees for all students participating in CTSOS.”
However, there are some drawbacks with this proposal, as FISD is a very socioeconomically diverse area, and not all students will be able to afford the increase in fees. Students at the community input meeting suggested that those fortunate enough pay the fee increase do so as an educational investment.
“It’s important to remember that we are a part of a well-resourced community where families routinely invest in extracurricular activities that enrich our generation’s future,” Karthik said.
One of the most popular CTSO programs is Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA).
“In the spring I got to work at the blood drive which was really cool for me,” Reign Mayo, ‘27, said. “Also, I’ve been able to speak with professionals in different medical fields at the HOSA meetings.”
Each year this program creates future leaders in the healthcare industry. Hands-on experiences such as the blood drive are what gives these CTSO programs the ability to change student’s futures and show them the possibilities of their chosen field.
“If we have a lot of people who genuinely want to compete and are genuinely dedicated to the program then it’s unfair to limit them,” Mayo said.
HOSA is just one of many programs that will be affected if this proposal is enacted. Students from BPA are also worried about what the future holds for them.
“I feel like the limits are going to hurt our school in the long term,” Abhiram Nandiraju ‘29, said. “If you look at other schools in other states that don’t have limits—especially California, has such a great return rate on things like BPA and DECA, and a lot of these kids are going off to really good colleges.”
Nandiraju’s experience in BPA has allowed him to discover what career he wished to pursue.
“I didn’t know what I was gonna do until junior year. From BPA I’ve learned how to balance a spreadsheet, how finances work, how company financial statements work and learning about that has kinda shaped what I wanted to do in college.”