board members Harry Lee, Dan Meissner and James Minyard look on.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Tuscaloosa City Schools (TCS) welcomed the community to the newly constructed Tuscaloosa Career & Technology Academy (TCTA) by hosting a ribbon-cutting event located at the school’s new facility at 2800 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
TCS Superintendent Dr. Paul McKendrick and members of the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education assisted TCTA Principal Kathleen Hughston in cutting the ceremonial ribbon.
“I have never seen so much hard work go into a school,” said Hughston. “So many talented people have put their heart and soul into this place.”
TCTA will offer 11 college and career-prep academies for high school students using its state-of-the-art technology, equipment and software. The $25 million, 120,000-square-foot facility is funded primarily by the county-wide one-cent sales tax initiative.
“With the school’s 11 academies and everything it has to offer,” said McKendrick, “There is something here for every child who wants to prepare for his or her future.”
Tuscaloosa City Council members, Alabama Department of Education members and other elected officials were among the more than 300 in attendance.
“This school is definitely a pacesetter for our state, the Southern part of the United States and even the nation,” said Dr. Philip Cleveland, director of the Office of Career and Technical Education Workforce Development at the Alabama Department of Education. “I have been in many parts of the nation, and I can tell you, you have a training facility here that holds a candle to anything I’ve seen.”
More than 600 students enrolled in courses at TCTA for the upcoming school year. Students begin school Aug. 19.