Carter County receives ARC funding to support high school CTE programs

Published 11:31 am Friday, July 15, 2022

Carter County will be receiving $250,000 in grant funds from the Appalachian Regional Commission to help purchase new and updated equipment for the career technical education (CTE) programs in Carter County Schools.

“I am thrilled that Carter County was selected to receive this grant,” Carter County Mayor Patty Woodby said. “We are working hard to address the skills gap in our local workforce while also providing our students with the education and the skills they need to earn a decent wage after they graduate high school. The Appalachian Regional Commission recognized that need and the work we are putting in to help our community.”

According to Woodby, this grant was part of the overall project to develop a centralized CTE campus for the county schools and dual enrollment opportunities for students pursuing the technical college pathway. The goal for the overall project is to allow students to graduate high school with either an associate degree or a career certification.

“This project has been very dear to my heart when we first began discussing it just over a year ago,” Woodby said. “I think this project has the potential to change the lives of some of our students and prepare them for a successful future.”

The funding from the grant will be used to purchase new equipment for Carter County high school CTE programs such as welding, criminal justice, nursing, automotive collision repair, and business management. The Carter County Commission voted in March 2022 to provide the necessary $114,102 in matching funds for the project to update the equipment if the grant was awarded. The total budget for this grant project is $364,102.

“With technology advancements being made all the time, it is often difficult for local school systems to bear the cost of frequently replacing equipment for the CTE programs, which can be quite expensive,” Woodby said. “This grant will allow our county schools to purchase new up-to-date equipment so our students are learning their trades on the same modern equipment they will encounter when they join the workforce.”

This grant application was a cooperative effort between the Carter County Mayor’s Office, the Carter County School System, and the First Tennessee Development District, Woodby said.

“We will be working in the coming weeks with Carter County Director of Schools Dr. Brandon Carpenter and his staff to identify the best usage of these grant funds for the CTE Equipment,” Woodby said.