April 21, 2026- It's called the Artificial Intelligence in Career and Technical Education grant, and it was issued by the New Jersey Department of Education as a competitive offering this past winter. Toms River Regional Schools applied and was recently announced as one of only a handful of winning public school districts.

TRRS will utilize the $25,000 award over the course of the next 12 months to provide professional development, recruit industry partners, and purchase technological supplies to integrate AI policy and practices into three of its Perkins-approved CTE pathways — finance, IT, and manufacturing.

"This opportunity will provide students and staff in these three programs of study with a stronger foundation and an enhancement of their skills in AI," said TRRS Supervisor of CTE Tiffany Lucey, who helped write and design the grant proposal. "Core concepts we will address include critical thinking, problem solving, and unlocking the human advantage in this new AI-driven economy."

The project the district will implement with the funding is called "AI & HI- Artificial Intelligence and Human Interaction," and it aims to connect students with, yes, human beings in those fields so they can learn first-hand about potential local careers, which will in turn support the long-term growth of the Toms River business community. Partners include the Joint Naval Base at Lakehurst, OceanFirst Bank, Remington and Vernick Engineers, and others. There will be significant professional development opportunities for district teachers, summer camps, and access to new AI-integrated resources like Arduinos, vision sensors, and AI space exploration kits.

A snippet of the district's application encapsulates its vision for the program:

Picture this, a classroom where students are discussing the knowledge gained at their most recent work-based learning field experiences. They have an intimate understanding of how their industry works and the intersection of AI. Their teachers work closely, guiding them over the shoulder, as they develop models using AI-powered robots and microcontrollers, programming, and powerful tools to simulate real-life challenges found in their future workplace guided by carefully-crafted, problem-based modules. Their teachers are fluent in their understanding of AI and bring to life computer science, innovation and society, and how it applies to student career readiness, life literacies and the learning of key skills. Teachers and students work through reflection and revision continuously improving their understanding of the needs of their industry with their partners coming to a clearer understanding of how AI is reshaping finance, manufacturing and information technology. 

The grant period is already underway — an advisory board meeting drawing in the project's partners was held today, in fact — and runs through March 31, 2027. Let the human interactions begin.