It has been less than two months since voters in the Lowndes County School District rejected a $47 million bond proposal that would have funded a variety of capital improvements, including $14 million for a centralized career-tech center. Even so, district officials have not moth-balled those capital improvement plans.
During its Oct. 10 board meeting, trustees voted on a resolution to proceed with its plans, which seems likely to include placing the issue before the district’s voters again. For now, the district is saying it intends to study its plans, perhaps amending the original bond package to reduce costs — and the tax hike that may be required to fund it.
On Aug. 26, almost 52 percent of voters favored the bond proposal, but that was short of the 60 percent needed to pass.
It was a demoralizing blow to officials who felt the timing was right to make the much-needed improvements.
However, the votes against the bond issue shouldn’t necessarily be seen as a vote against the projects themselves. Many voters believed the projects could have been funded through existing tax revenue rather than through a bond — essentially a loan — and the resulting tax increase needed to make payments on that bond. Some have noted that tax revenue coming to county schools is projected to increase significantly over the next few years.
Of the projects under consideration, there is no more urgent need than that of the career-tech center. Of Mississippi’s 152 school districts, Lowndes County is one of only three that do not presently have these facilities. While each of the county’s high schools offer some vocational training classes, students at one school with an interest in a program often find that program is not available at their school. Given the abundance of industry that has arrived in Lowndes County and the continued growth that is expected over the next several years, there is likely no school district in the state that is in greater need of a modern career tech center available to all students.
Twenty years ago, the model of education was simple: Some students were prepared for college, the others went to work, most often in factories. But that model is inadequate today because modern industry is technology-driven, requiring workers with specific skills, skills that simply aren’t provided in conventional public schools.
Students as young as 12-years-old are beginning to realize this, it appears. A year-and-a-half ago, as district officials began developing plans for capital improvements, the district surveyed all of the seventh- and eighth-graders in the district in an attempt to gauge student interest in a district-wide career training center. Almost 1,000 students showed interest in such a facility.
The urgency of this matter cannot be overstated. Each year, workers retire from good-paying jobs in Lowndes County industries and company officials say there are not enough skilled workers in the county to fill those positions. As new industries continue to locate in the county, the demand for skilled workers will only increase.
Whether funded through a fresh ballot initiative, through existing tax revenues or through projected tax revenue increases over the coming years, the county is right to move forward with plans to build this facility.
A career tech center is not a luxury. It is an essential part of the county’s public education.
We applaud the county for moving forward with it.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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