The Hamilton County Commission spoke about the logistics of turning the old Mary Ann Garber School into a new vocational school during Wednesday’s meeting. The project evoked the name of the old Kirkman Technical High School, which closed in 1991. County Mayor Jim Coppinger said that if all goes well, the school will be open by August of 2022.
“There’s a need for this kind of work, and there’s a number of students participating in these kinds of programs (at other schools). This is an extension of that, and they can participate as interns (in programs) and get dual enrollment at Chattanooga State.”
County Mayor Coppinger said he will serve on a board along with Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly and Department of Education Supt.
Dr. Bryan Johnson. He said contractors will be teaching many of the classes, and that the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) will make sure students are being trained correctly.
“I’ve been involved for a year and a half, and it’s so encouraging to see everyone working together,” said Ken Hays. “We’ve done a lot of work in developing the curriculum, and having the contractors sitting side by side with the educators. AGC has a commitment for 100 percent job placement with their students. This is a win-win for everyone.”
He added, “It’s all the divisions. You’ve got masonry, carpentry, welding, HVAC. You have four labs and four classrooms, and you’ll have a big outdoor section with construction. It’s to give a sampling for everything.”
Commissioner and former school board member Steve Highlander called it a “wonderful opportunity” and compared it to the dual enrollment system Chattanooga State has, and Commissioner Katherlyn Geter said vocational training is a “great thing” that will help “future work personnel meet job requirements in the future.”
“Because of the dual enrollment, it is 11th and 12th graders. The two feeder schools are Howard and East Ridge, because they have already got activities like this,” Mr. Hays said. “A lot of the planning is that it is attractive for kids to want to do it. AGC is working to start summer camps, so kids can learn how things work and can get excited.”
Commissioner Tim Boyd also praised the initiative, and said that many trades have a dearth of workers between the ages of 25 and 55. And like Mr. Hays alluded to, the Commissioner said there is a need for the AGC and this new vocational school to make the trades “attractive” on their own merit, and not just a way to ”get out” of traditional classes.
“I applaud the mayor and the AGC and the department of education for setting up this pilot,” Commissioner Boyd said. “This can and maybe will set a precedent at the national level for development for the workforce trades.”
Mr. Hays told the Commission the plan is for there to about 200 11th and 12th graders combined at the vocational school, along with adults. He said there will be no interaction between the high school students and the adult students. The plan is for the children to stay at school in the morning, and to take vocational classes in the afternoon.
“This is not Kirkman, but this is Kirkman-like,” Commissioner David Sharpe said. “This is a tremendous need that is being filled, and I couldn’t be more excited for it.”
County Mayor Coppinger said the state, city, county, AGC, and the private sector are all contributing money to this project. District 4 Commissioner Warren Mackey said the vocational school will especially help people in his district, where many do not have access to the vocational school in Sequoyah.
“To have this opportunity in an area that is accessible is great, because the school in Sequoyah is on the edge of the county, and a lot of poorer people just couldn’t get up there,” Commissioner Mackey said. “By virtue of having this school in the urban core, that’s a great thing.”
“The world has changed. Once upon a time, everyone needed and wanted a college education. But what we’ve realized is that more technology, robots, and applications are taking jobs away, and the work coming around in America today is predicated on ‘what can you do and what value do you bring to the company? If you can bring something of value, you have a future.’”