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$23.5 million coming to Hamilton County students to expand career training, college credit opportunities

Staff photo by Tim Barber/ Hixson sophomore Barrett Seldon, seated, receives operating instruction at the da Vinci Surgical System surgeon console from Intuition Surgical representative Eric Hardeman, of Sunnyvale, CA, Jan. 21, 2020, during the Future Ready Institute partnership at the school.
Staff photo by Tim Barber/ Hixson sophomore Barrett Seldon, seated, receives operating instruction at the da Vinci Surgical System surgeon console from Intuition Surgical representative Eric Hardeman, of Sunnyvale, CA, Jan. 21, 2020, during the Future Ready Institute partnership at the school. Staff photo by Tim Barber/ Hixson sophomore Barrett Seldon, seated, receives operating instruction at the da Vinci Surgical System surgeon console from Intuition Surgical representative Eric Hardeman, of Sunnyvale, CA, Jan. 21, 2020, during the Future Ready Institute partnership at the school.

By Carmen Nesbitt 3 min read


Hamilton County high schools and middle schools will receive $23.5 million, collectively, to boost student success and career readiness.

On Thursday, the Board of Education voted unanimously to allow the district to submit applications for the grant funds offered through the state.

The grant, called the Innovative Schools Model Grant, expands on Tennessee’s initial Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund investment of $30 million with an additional $500 million aimed at eliminating structural barriers among high school, the workforce and post-secondary systems. The funds will be doled out over the next four years.

Schools will have the liberty to develop new programs — or expand existing ones — that offer students opportunities to earn college credit or gain career expertise before they graduate high school. Examples of these programs, also known as Career and Technical Education, are Hamilton County Schools’ Future-Ready Institutes, which are offered at 13 high schools. Students enroll beginning in grade 9 and can study a range of trades, including welding, interior design and audio/video production.