Next high
school
planned
Career tech facility?
By Hilary Snow
Staff Writer
Career technical education could be the focus of the county’s next high school.
The Brunswick County Board of Education decided Tuesday night to assemble a task force to evaluate the feasibility of creating the district’s first career preparation school. A new high school is expected to open in the Supply area in 2012.
Les Tubb, director of career technical education for Brunswick County Schools,
said career tech programs already exist in the district’s three high schools and at Brunswick County Academy. But, he added, a high school devoted solely to skill-based learning and training could open a world of opportunities to students who aren’t necessarily college bound.
“We need to think of this as a career technical education high school and not a vocational high school. Vocational in the past has meant pushing kids out into the workforce. Career technical education is about trying to get students highly trained for the workforce,” Tubb said. “We’re doing a great job where we are now, but this may be the opportunity to put in a culinary arts lab (for example). This may be a joint effort with the community college.”
Regardless of the possibilities, school board chairman Shirley Babson said the reality is that the career tech concept will require some extra funding.
“It’s going to take some local money, but I’ve talked with a couple of county commissioners and they’re certainly in favor of it,” she noted.
The board agreed that the task force should consist of business leaders, two school board members and representatives from county chambers of commerce.
“This is going to be a team project,” Babson said.
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