Raleigh-area students will soon have the chance to attend a new Career and Technical Education high school.
The Wake County Board of Commissioners Monday approved a $12.2 million contract for construction of the facility, which will be adapted from the old Coca-Cola building at 2200 S. Wilmington St.
The money comes from school bonds approved by the Board of Commissioners in April.
Image Provided by Wake County.
A rendering of how the new Career and Technical Education High School might look.
Wake County Public Schools will partner with Wake Tech Community College to create 10 programs within the school that will give graduates a high school diploma and career training, enabling them to enter the workforce after graduation. Coursework will transfer directly to Wake Technical Community College, giving graduates a head start on a two-year degree program.
About 700 students in grades 10 through 12 are expected to attend during the day, with an additional 1,000 adults expected in evening classes.
AC, Heating, Refrigeration
Biopharmaceuticals
Collision Repair
Cosmetology
Electrical/Electronics
GIS
Nursing Assistant
Plumbing
Simulation Game Development
Welding
Potential students will attend their base high school for their ninth grade year. They must then apply to enter the Career and Technical Education program for the remaining three years.
Construction on the new school is expected to begin Aug. 1; the school will open for students in August 2014.
Cap Put on Community Funds
In other business Monday, Commissioners agreed to change the application process for two community funds in order to serve more people.
The Community Capital Fund grants money to projects that address critical needs in the community. Past recipients include the Tammy Lynn Center, Urban Ministries and Hospice of Wake County.
A new cap limits applicants to a request of $1 million. Previously, applicants had no request limit.
The $6 million Major Facilities Fund allocates money to projects that enhance arts, sports, cultural or convention services in Wake County. The fund is supported by occupancy and food and beverage taxes.
Past recipients include the North Carolina Art Museum, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, the PNC Center and St. Augustine’s college track.
The new cap limits applicants to a $3 million request.
Wake County Manager David Cooke said the caps leave room to distribute more than one award.
“We’ve created more of a competitive process to allocate that money,” he said.
For both funds, applications will now be collected at the same time and finalists who meet certain criteria will be asked to present their projects to the County Commission.
