Chilton County Schools technical and innovation center rendering (Chilton County Schools)
By Sumner Harrell – ABC 33/40
CHILTON COUNTY, Ala. (WBMA) — Chilton County Schools Superintendent Corey Clements announced Friday a new partnership with Jefferson State Community College in regard to a new technical center.
Clements said over the last year, the school system has been working to find partners for the project and that several proposals were discussed and explored.
Back in November, Chilton County residents voted to renew a trade school tax. The money funds 23 career tech programs in all of the schools across the county, and 13 programs at The Lecroy Career Tech Center.
“I have felt that it was my responsibility to explore every opportunity for financing a large-scale endeavor such as this, without compromising funds from other programs or simply moving debits from one account to another,” said Clements.
Clements said one of the school system’s most pressing challenges is the ability to train students who choose not to attend a four-year college.
He emphasized that the existing technical center, the Lecroy Career Technical Center, was built in the early 1960s and is no longer an adequate facility for growing needs.
“We have seen the population of our county increase from 28,000 to 48,000 and the enrollment in our school system increase from 4,500 to almost 8,000,” Clements said. “Our current facility lacks the capacity and staff to instruct our students without waiting lists, program unavailability, or lack of equipment,” he added.
