Hutchinson School officials were informed Thursday afternoon through an email about a product the Kansas Department of Education has provided for school districts across state will not be available after the first of the year.

Ray Hemman with the district says the “Kansas Career Pipeline,” has been a major tool for them to help students map out their post-secondary future – be that additional career training or college. This not only impacts USD 308, but all the districts in Kansas.

The e-mail notified them that the Kansas State Department of Education, the Department of Commerce and the Kansas Board of Regents are no longer provide funding for Kuder, the vendor that powers the Kansas Career Pipeline. Therefore, Kuder services will be discontinued after Dec. 31, 2012.

They admit that Kuder has been a valuable resource for students planning for college, and it say it was a difficult decision to discontinue the service. They indicate that budget cuts at the state and federal levels have necessitated the change.

However, Kuder is available for purchase by individual districts who wish to continue the service.

They also told districts that career planning tools can still be accessed for free from the following sites, which are part of the American Job Center Network.

That includes www.mynextmove.org., or www.myskillsmyfuture.org.