The Aiken County School District will receive the full amount recommended from the SRS settlement money.
The district will receive the full $30 million recommended by Gov. Henry McMaster, money which will be used to replace the aging Career and Technology Center on Jefferson Davis Highway.
It was not a foregone conclusion.
In its version of the budget, the South Carolina House reduced the amount to just under $23 million. The budget conference committee restored it to the original recommendation. The governor signed the FY 2022-2023 budget on June 22.
Aiken County Superintendent King Laurence said getting the full $30 million was “huge” for the district. Rising costs of construction and materials would have meant scaling back programs at the new CTC.
“We never planned to build a Career and Technology Center for $30 million. We always knew that we needed to kick in some other money. And we had that planned in our penny sales tax amount,” he said. “So, we had already told our legislative delegation we were prepared to match at least 5 million. So right now, we’re looking at least 35 million for the project.”
MORE: More details on how Aiken schools will use SRS settlement money
He credited the local legislative delegation for going to bat for the district, ensuring it would get the amount recommended by the governor.
The existing facility was built in 1967 and is at capacity in terms of programs offered and openings for students, with waiting lists off those wanting to attend. Laurence said the district has put many career and technical classes into the district’s high schools, such as the culinary program at North Augusta High School. Now they are talking with employers in Aiken County, asking what skills they need job applicants to have and will provide education and training in those areas.
Principal Kenneth Lott, who stepped into the role at CTC in 2018, said he would like to offer classes in “everything known to man.”
“Because there’s a need in every industry today. There’s no industry that’s does not have “Help Wanted” signs up. Everybody is in dire need of help. I’ve considered construction services, auto body repair and painting. I also like to look at aerospace engineering. We have multiple engineering programs here. But when you talk about aerospace, you get into the whole other realm of engineering, especially with Boeing right down the road in Charleston and we have Augusta Aviation right around the corner from us,” said Lott
The new center will be built on the campus of Aiken Technical College, the location noted by Gov. McMaster in his December 2021 letter to Sen. Thomas Alexander, president of the state senate, and Representative Jay Lucas, then speaker of the state house.
“High school students will benefit from expanded dual enrollment opportunities in career and technical fields available at Aiken Technical College, and the community will benefit from an increasing number of high school students graduating with work-ready credentials in high-demand fields,” read the letter.
Laurence said dual enrollment will grow once the new CTC is built.
“And not just dual enrollment in core academic courses, but dual enrollment in the career and technology courses, in welding, in health science and in machine tool and cybersecurity,” Laurence said.
The settlement money, originally $600 million until $75 million was paid to the attorneys, stems from the Department of Energy’s failed mixed oxide fuel fabrication that was to be built at SRS along with the weapons grade plutonium that was brought to the state to be converted into fuel pellets for reactor fuel assemblies.
In addition to the money, the settlement calls for the Department of Energy to remove the plutonium stored at SRS. It must be removed no later than 2037.
MORE: Carving up the SRS settlement money pie
“Having a career center and a technical college on the same campus, we’re creating these dual enrollment pathways. Some students will begin to take college courses in high school, which will lessen the burden on them when they go to college,” said Lott. “So, it’ll create tremendous opportunities for students who otherwise might not have thought about attending college.”
Lott said one of the biggest challenges is to get parents to look at career, technical and vocational education as a front-line option for their child to build a successful life.
“Parents need to see the whole picture. I think parents need to look at each child individually and figure out what’s going to work best for their child, because at the end of the day, the goal is for our children to be productive citizens and lifetime learners, whatever that looks like for you,” he said. “I would love to see parents take a vested interest in career and technical education programs now. Don’t wait till the new building comes to invest in your child. Start today.”
With the funding from the state secured, the superintendent said the next step is to begin the design process and meet with Aiken Tech leaders to choose the right location for the new CTC on their campus. Then the district will meet with architects to create a new center that will serve Aiken County for the next 50 to 60 years.
Principal Lott said this is an exciting time for students in Aiken County.
“There is no greater time than now to be in Aiken County Public School district, because students have limitless opportunities,” he said.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a general assignment reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
