Funding for a full-time director for the Warren County Career Center is in place.
Indicating that he met with Warren County Chamber of Business and Industry President Jim Decker last week, Warren County School District Superintendent Brandon Hufnagel said that "we began putting together the final agreement that (I) will ask the board to support on January 14" regarding how to accept the donations that have been collected to fund the position.
"The WCCBI, with their support, we have been able to get the funds needed" for the position, said Hufnagel.
He added that a wealth of businesses and entities have donated to make the position a possibility.
Discussion about creation of the new post surfaced last month.
Citing a need to "address needs in (the) business industry," Hufnagel made a pitch to the Curriculum, Instruction and Technology committee last month in advocating for a "dedicated director at the Warren County Career Center."
Currently, oversight of the WCCC is shared by the director of secondary education and a principal assigned to manage the day-to-day operations of the building.
"We need somebody who can work as a link between the needs of the local industry and the needs of the Career Center," Hufnagel told the committee. Currently the principal "manages the building" but "can't go out and make those relationships. (We) also need to ensure business has an active voice in the future of the career center."
He said the position salary will be $75,000 annually. If this arrangement is approved, the district would be responsible for $25,000 in benefits.
The position would have four primary goals: address the needs of business and industry, provide skilled employable workers, lobby at regional and state levels for technical education and collaborate with post-secondary institutions. "A lot of people think when you go to the Career Center you go into the work force and this isn't always the case," Hufnagel added.
"What are the future needs of the county? What can we do as a career center to meet those needs? As I talk about this with business leaders, I'm asking them to support the program for two to three years. Their biggest concern is that the school district is going to drop it if they can't afford it," Hufnagel said, emphasizing that the individual in the position would need to be able to find alternate streams of revenue.
Once the person is on board, Hufnagel advocated for an advisory panel "that will assist in giving the business community a voice in the operations of the Warren County Career Center.