New skills center targeted for September start
MOSES LAKE - Construction on the new Grant County Skills Center is projected to begin this fall, possibly as early as September, with classes beginning January 2014.
Moses Lake School Board members reviewed the existing plan at a workshop Thursday.
During the 2012 session the Washington Legislature allocated $19.4 million for the project, district superintendent Michelle Price said. The money will pay for a first phase that includes five classrooms, two computer labs, a commons area and administration offices.
When it opens the skills center will offer classes in culinary arts, construction and design, pre-dental and pre-nursing classes, pre-engineering, and manufacturing and welding. The building is designed to provide room for expansion, said board president Kevin Donovan.
Classes are scheduled to begin in the second semester of the 2013-14 school year, and board member Vicki Groff asked if the building would be ready by then. Price said students have to register for classes at the beginning of the 2013-14 school year, so the plan is to have the program ready by January.
Administrators will know before school starts that year whether or not the project is on schedule, and can adjust accordingly, Price said. If the project is delayed, classes would begin in the fall of 2014, she said.
Donovan asked if delays in finishing one classroom or getting equipment for one course would delay the whole project. Price said the rest of the program could start in those circumstances.
The center will house students from Moses Lake, Ephrata, Lake Roosevelt (Grand Coulee), Coulee-Hartline, Royal, Wilson Creek, Quincy, Warden and Soap Lake in Grant County and Othello in Adams County.
Classes at the skills center will be 2.5 hours per day, and students will be required to complete all classes and coursework at the school they attend, Price said. That could mean it's an after-school program for some kids, she said.
Classrooms will be designed to look a little like a business, Price said, and the commons will be designed to provide customer seating for the culinary program.
The two computer labs will be designed to be accessible to the community, she said.
Many classes will be taught by certificated teachers, Price said, but some jobs will be unique and some instructors may not be teachers. That will require contract adjustments with the teachers' unions, she said. Administrators want to work with businesses throughout Grant County; possibilities include student job shadowing, apprenticeships and internships at local businesses, guest speakers and instructors from businesses.
Price said the superintendents involved also are interested in working with Big Bend Community College, possibly offering dual credit courses, having college and community classes at the skills center, and sharing instructors.
The building will be located on district-owned property on Yonezawa Boulevard near Moses Lake High School. It's next to the new regional transportation facility and will be built at the same time.
The project is a cooperative effort of the 10 districts, but Moses Lake is the lead district and will be responsible for financing administration and oversight, both during construction and after the program gets going, Price said.
In light of that, Donovan said it would be important that the skills center maintain a separate identity. Administrators always will have to keep in mind that it's a joint project of 10 schools and the program should be structured so students from all schools have a sense of ownership, Price said.