Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has funded the renovation of the old Boones Creek Elementary School property on Christian Church Road to be renovated as a dual-enrollment TCAT campus.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has funded the renovation of the old Boones Creek Elementary School property on Christian Church Road to be renovated as a dual-enrollment TCAT campus.
Gov. Bill Lee announced a major expansion of Tennessee’s workforce development programs in his State of the State speech on Monday.
Specifically, the governor said his administration has prioritized the expansion of Tennessee College of Applied Technology campuses statewide. Lee has proposed spending more than $1 billion in his new state budget to meet that goal.
The governor said that figure represents the largest investment in state technical colleges in Tennessee’s history.
“This year, I propose that we complete Tennessee’s TCAT Master Plan,” the governor said. “To do that, we’ll expand and improve 16 existing TCATs, replace seven outdated facilities and build six brand new TCATs at strategic locations across our state. Our goal is to train 10,000 new skilled workers a year.”
The governor has proposed spending:
• $370.8 million to update outdated facilities on seven TCAT campuses statewide;
• $386.2 million to invest in new buildings, expansions and improvements at 16 current TCAT campuses;
• And $147.5 million to build six new TCATs to serve more students in Tennessee.
“Access to career and technical education can change the trajectory of someone’s life,” Lee said in his speech. “We should expand those opportunities in our K-12 schools.”
Starting with the GIVE Act four years ago, the governor said his administration has worked to create more vocational and STEM programs in classrooms across the state. “As a result, dual enrollment for high school students has nearly doubled,” Lee said.
TCAT officials in Elizabethton say nearly 200 high school students in Northeast Tennessee are in dual enrollment for career technical education courses for the spring 2023 semester.
State Rep. Tim Hicks, R-Gray, said he and his colleagues in the state General Assembly are pleased to see the financial commitment the governor has made in expanding TCAT programs across the state.
“The list includes projects from Memphis to Mountain City,” Hicks said. “It’s a very big investment. The governor understands the workforce needs of this state and the fact there are students looking for a vocational direction. This is an effort to put those two things together.”
Hicks said the governor has previously made a major investment in a new Elizabethton TCAT satellite campus that is now being developed at the old Boones Creek Elementary School. The facility is currently undergoing renovations and new construction is also planned for the site.
Officials hope to begin classes at the site in the fall.
Robert Houk has served as a journalist and photographer at the Press since 1987. He is a recipient of the Associated Press Managing Editors Malcom Law Award for investigative reporting.
