RINGGOLD, Ga. - Catoosa County Schools Superintendent Denia Reese thinks she's found the right spot for the district's planned new high school.
Reese asked the county commission during its Tuesday meeting to give the school district about 5 acres off Battlefield Parkway to build a college and career academy. The campus would house high school students who take career-training courses, allowing them to earn a certificate or an associate's degree in addition to their high school diploma.
Reese's desired location is on Catoosa Place Circle, next to the amphitheater and near The Colonnade Center and the Catoosa County library. It would be located in the middle of the district's three current high schools: about 4 miles from Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School, 4 miles from Heritage High School and 5 miles from Ringgold High School.
The academy's students may have to shuffle between their zoned high school and the new location some days, splitting time between traditional classrooms and career-focused courses.
"It's the perfect location," Reese said.
Commission Chair Steven Henry said the county's elected officials will consider giving the school district these 5 acres during their next meeting Aug. 21 at 6 p.m. But at this week's meeting, at least a majority of the commissioners appeared to be on board.
District 1 Commissioner Jeff Long said he has supported the career academy since Reese announced her intention to build one last year, believing it will allow students to try different careers. District 3 Commissioner Jim Cutler said the local government would benefit from the new building; it could be yet another meeting space.
After the meeting, Henry said he is also on board.
"A college and career academy is long overdue," he said.
An academy is still several years away. The district will apply for a $3 million grant from the state by the deadline of Sept. 13. They will learn whether they received the grant in December. The school board also plans to pay for the school with sales tax revenue, through the next Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax fund. Voters will not decide whether to approve the 1-percent tax until March 2021, Reese told the commissioners.
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle spearheaded a movement to bring college and career academies to districts throughout the state when he took office in 2006. Since then, the state legislature has given money to the Technical College System of Georgia to fund grants to start up these schools. The Whitfield County and Gordon County school systems have since launched these programs.
Each year, the state awards $3 million grants to district to help them build the new schools. Three of seven districts that applied last year received the grants, said Mark Peevy, the assistant commissioner for secondary initiatives at the technical college system of Georgia. The legislature gave them more money this year, and the system expects to award grants to four applicants.
In Catoosa County, Reese and other school officials have met with stakeholders over the past year to come up with a plan for what their ideal career academy would look like. This includes representatives from Georgia Northwestern Technical College, Dalton State College, the Partnership 2000 steering committee, the Top of Georgia and the county's chamber of commerce.
In addition to seeking community leaders' input, Catoosa County Public Schools spokeswoman Marissa Brower wrote in an email, district officials reviewed the Governor's High Demand Career Initiative Report, Georgia Department of Labor statistics and market and workforce development data.
She said the academy could especially help students from poor communities.
"Due to their family's economic situation," she said, "they don't always see college as a reality. We have an amazing opportunity to give every high school student from all economic backgrounds the opportunity to attend college free. The students who participate in a college and career academy pathway will not only be employable, but they will be highly skilled for every good-paying job that's out there."
Reese also announced the five fields students could study at the academy: information technology, law and justice, building design and power, medicine and nursing, and early childhood education.
"Since we'll be needing to hire a large number of teachers in the next five to 10 years, we plan to include an education pathway so we can grow our own teachers," she said.
The building design and power pathway would teach plumbing, electrical work, HVAC repair, construction, welding and engineering. The law and justice path would teach law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency response and 911 operations. Henry believes the new academy could support a new 911 center, since the county's current building is outdated.
When Catoosa County began looking at that last year, Cagle appeared to be a front-runner to succeed Gov. Nathan Deal. But Brian Kemp defeated him in the Republican primary runoff on July 24. Kemp will face Democrat Stacey Abrams in November.
Thom Suddreth, a consultant who worked with Catoosa County as it created a college and career academy plan, said he was not sure how a new administration will want the legislature to fund the program.
"Everyone involved, as far as the support and the grant going forward, is just kind of taking a wait-and-see attitude toward it," he said. "It may very well be at the next legislative session (January to March) when there actually is some clarity."
In a statement, a spokesman for Kemp's campaign said he supports college and career academies, "as long as the return on investment is high for hardworking Georgia taxpayers."
State Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, added in a statement, "as Governor, I am certain that Brian Kemp will partner with State, Business Leaders and Educators to ensure that our students are prepared and trained for the jobs today and for the jobs of tomorrow."
Abrams, meanwhile, has campaigned on the need to increase the number of students taking part in apprenticeships. She told the Times Free Press in a statement, "By lifting up our students and our workers, we will give every Georgia family the freedom and opportunity to thrive."
Peevy, with the technical college system of Georgia, said Abrams' plan fits in smoothly with what college and career academies already due. The programs already form partnerships with local businesses and allow students to take part in internships or apprenticeships while in school.
Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at 423-757-6476 or tjett@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @LetsJett.