SPRINGDALE -- The Northwest Technical Institute is on board to hire a coordinator who will oversee creating a Western Benton County Career Development Center for high school students.
The institute's board voted unanimously Thursday to support the Decatur, Gentry, Gravette and Bentonville school districts in hiring the coordinator.
Board meeting
The Northwest Technical Institute Board also during their meeting gave special recognition to Les Garrett, a former board chairman who retired from the board after 10 years of service. Tommy Free was re-elected to serve as chairman, Carlos Chicas was elected to serve as vice chairman and Clifton Braker was re-elected secretary.
Source: Staff report
The institute will apply to the Walton Family Foundation for money to hire a coordinator, said Blake Robertson, president of Northwest Technical Institute. He said school districts and city and county governments could help pay for the position once grant money runs out.
The creation of the development center corresponds with Act 509 of 2017, a state law authorizing the creation and operation of a self-standing workforce development center that will provide vocational and technical education to secondary school students. The act also permits city and county tax revenue to be dedicated toward the development of a workforce center.
Robertson will gather with school superintendents and state legislators Oct. 10 to discuss what kind of tax will pay for the center.
"We're going to have to figure out how we're going to pay for the building," Robertson said. "It's going to be some kind of tax I'm sure. We're going to ask private businesses to donate money or equipment to it, and that's part of what this coordinator will do."
He said they are looking around Centerton as a possible center location.
Robertson said he has spoken with Centerton Mayor Bill Edwards, and Richard Page, Gravette schools superintendent, will soon meet with Edwards as well.
"We have some available land here, and we'd certainly be happy to accommodate them," Edwards said.
It will take 18 months to build the center and a fall 2019 opening is anticipated, Robertson said.
The institute, at 709 S. Old Missouri Road, teaches post secondary students various trades, including welding, diesel mechanics, automotive and computer networking; it is also a state agency that has satellites in Farmington, Gravette and Rogers in which institute personnel provide technical classes to secondary students at the local high schools.
High school students from Decatur, Gentry, Gravette and Bentonville will travel to the new center for vocational classes.
The center will benefit students from smaller school districts, said Tommy Free, chairman of the institute's board.
The Rogers School District opted out and the Siloam Springs School District is considering sending its students to the center once it is built, Robertson said.
NW News on 09/29/2017