By ALICIA LEONARD
Freeport High School Principal Tripp Hope brought an exciting grant proposition in front of the Walton County School Board (WCSB) during a workshop, held before their regular meeting on the evening of Dec. 8, 2014.
Hope told the board, “We want to make sure the kids have choices. This is not about whether they attend college or not, as many will decide to continue to pursue a higher degree in this field, but it’s about our district’s students, and providing every student in Walton County with a variety of choices to earn a good living wage with benefits and retirement as well.”
Hope was talking about a $240,000 grant for the district to set up a pre-engineering and machinist career academy at Freeport High School. The only cost to the district would be the cost of the building to house the academy, and the funds would be disbursed through the University of West Florida for four years. All supplies, including computers, 3D printers, textbooks and anything else needed is covered by the grant. After the grant expires, another program is available to cover costs. An additional $170,000 is available for a middle school academy as well.
Hope said the grant was made possible by work from Florida State Senator Don Gaetz, the Southern Company Workforce Development Coordinator Jennifer Grove, and South Walton High School Principal Dr. Alexis Tibbetts. Hope told the board “Alexis brought this opportunity to our attention and has been with us since day one.”
Jobs in pre-engineering and fabrication usually pay between $20-30 per hour at starting levels and go up as the education and degree levels rise. Hope told the board that over 300 manufacturers are concerned they won’t have the workforce necessary for business.
With board approval, the academy would open in the 2016-17 school year and offer flexible scheduling for students across the district interested in this career path. Hope said, “I want every child in Walton County to benefit from this. We have to get creative with their schedules and getting them here, but we want students from every school to benefit from this opportunity.”
WCSD Director of Facilities Mark Gardner eyeballed a figure at the request of board-members as to the cost of a building saying it could run anywhere from $500,000 to $1.5 million for what was needed.
The academy would also work in concert with Emerald Coast Technical School as well as surrounding local colleges for those seeking higher degrees.
The biggest issue to overcome as told by Hope is finding the right instructor for the academy. Finding someone with engineering and manufacturing experience to teach students is a rare commodity in the area, but he is optimistic they can find the right person for the job.
Studies show that jobs such as the ones the academy will prepare students for increase economic growth and the improve the standard of living for all in the area where they are hired.
“This opens up a lot of avenues and opportunities for the district, for the students and for Walton County,” Hope concluded at the end of the presentation.
