(ABC 6 News) – Rochester Public Schools P-TECH program is the only one of its kind in Minnesota. The program was made possible after receiving money from the state a few years ago, but its future is uncertain and more money’s needed for class to stay in session.

Since 2021, the P-TECH program has given hundreds of high schoolers a head start when it comes to college credit and education.

“I joined P-TECH because I knew I always wanted a career in the nursing pathway, and I felt like P-TECH gave me all the opportunities,” said ninth grader Amaya James.

“I’ve always wanted to do something in the health care field specifically nursing,” said 9th grader Raml Saiyd.

“I heard they had an IT program, and I really enjoy working with computers and stuff,” said 9th grader Jamie Ahern.

“The core idea of it is that, a student completes four years of high school and two years of higher education, and they get a degree or a credential at the end of that. But the key thing is that, the courses they take in high school are tightly designed to prepare them for whatever career field they are in,” said Superintendent Dr. Kent Pekel.

Fields that are vital in this community especially when it comes to nursing and technology. But changes during last year’s legislative session left the Rochester Public School District with less funding for this monumental program.

“What happened in the last legislative session, frankly without our knowledge, the changed it from funding for Rochester to a competitive grant that could go anywhere,” said Pekel.

Those changes are pushing school leaders and lawmakers to action with a new bill.

“The bill really helps to support Rochester to help fund P-TECH as they work to bring in some more private and public partners,” said Rep. Kim Hicks (DFL-Rochester).

Hicks, the lead author of HF 3722, says the Med City has a unique opportunity to be a model for the entire state.

“But the cool part about it is it allows Rochester to support other districts as they try to expand this amazing program,” said Hicks.

“We’ll provide people with the training, the tools, and the information, but we need a few years to get our program on solid ground financially to make that happen,” said Pekel.

Students hope the program sticks around.

“It just like this nice community and I really enjoy that,” said Ahern.

“It gives more time to have like a thought process to see if I really want to do this,” said Saiyd.

“So, I have a single mom and stuff like that, so getting some of these opportunities for free, like, while I’m in high school, is, like, such a step up,” said James.

The bill would be asking for just under $800,000 in funding. As money is dispersed around the state, Rochester will be looking for more community support to fund P-TECH.