The Murray Independent and Calloway County school districts will begin taking bids later this month on a new career and technical center that will be jointly owned by both districts.
Calloway students currently attend similar classes at the vocational school on Murray High School’s property. Murray superintendent Bob Rogers says the new center will centrally located on Johnny Robertson Road, about a mile from both high schools. He said the new center will offer eight programs. The vocational school currently only offers six.
“We’re adding an electricity program, industrial electricity, and we’re doubling the size of the health careers program so hopefully the students can exit there and hopefully be ready to attend nursing school," Rogers said.
Rogers says his board has worked closely on the project with the Calloway school board since 2010.
“Both boards have been supportive and we look forward to having a really nice, state-of-the-art facility for our kids and for our community," Rogers said.
The Murray Calloway County Career and Technical Center is expected to cost around $8 million, with $7 million going toward construction costs. Rogers said he hopes the schools will be able to move into the center next summer in advance of the 2016-2017 school year.
The school boards will meet Thursday, June 25 to discuss bids.
Meanwhile, the Murray Independent School District board has unanimously approved a five-year plan. Rogers said the long-term plan was the only recommendation made for the school district by accrediting agency, AdvancED.
“Basically our goal is that we want to continue to rank academically in the top five percent of the state like we have been the last several years. We want to make sure that we continue that.”
Rogers says the plan aims to achieve continued excellence in statewide rankings through parental and community involvement as well as attracting quality staff. The MISD was recently named a District of Distinction by the Kentucky Board of Education and the Kentucky Department of Education.
