$5 million makeover and upgrade coming

WINSTON COUNTY - The Winston Career Academy, which partners with Bevill State Community College, has received what officials describe as the largest funding allotment in the history of the center, thanks to $5 million from the Education Trust Fund budget.
The state put $150 million statewide into the Education Trust Fund budget for career technical education across the state, with $5 million going to the Winston Career Academy, which serves students from Winston County, Addison, Arley and Lynn high schools, officials said.
“When you’re in Montgomery and you don’t know what the needs are, you can’t try to fulfill those needs,” began State Senate Pro Tem Garlan Gudger. 
This funding marks the biggest allotment the state had approved for career tech in a long time, Gudger noted.
“I am thankful that everybody came together to do their part,” said Gudger. “It’s a team effort and without us working together and having a vision over a year-and-a-half ago to bring this together, we wouldn’t be here today.”
Winston County Schools Superintendent Jeff Scott and board members visited legislators in Montgomery to explain the needs they were facing in career tech, Gudger explained.
Winston Career Academy Director Adam Gray also invited legislators to tour their facility, located on the campus of Double Springs Middle School, after which he and legislators sat down and discussed needs, Gudger added.
When Gudger asked the ideal monetary amount it would take for the desired career tech improvements, Winston County School officials quoted $4-$5 million, he said.
“I was about blown away,” Gudger admitted. “Let’s try to figure out a way to do it.
“In the end,” Gudger continued, “we had a grant process coming and I wanted to make sure we had the best application we possibly could for all the people that are in Winston County.
“The people who were judging those applications at the department of education saw the same thing we did, that they had a great application and we were able to get five million new dollars for Winston County,” Gudger pointed out.
“Career tech is the future for everything,” Gudger continued. “Not everybody is going to be going to a four-year school like we have been pushing forever.  Adam and Jeff have been saying that for a long time.  Kids need different paths to go when they graduate high school or before they graduate high school with dual enrollment.
“Do they want to go to a junior college and learn a certification? Do they want to be a welder, a machinist? Do they want to do cosmetology?” Gudger continued.
“We need to be able to have everything under one roof, to give them the tools and the resources our young students need, where they can compete not only with other communities around us or the rest of the state, but also worldwide because this is a world market now,” Gudger emphasized.
Gray said he had never seen this large of a funding allotment for the WCA.
“It’s kind of a once-in-a-lifetime thing, for us to take and make this kind of change,” Gray added. “The majority of our kids in Winston County don’t go to a four-year school and get four-year degrees.
“What this (funding) is going to allow us to do is be able to give them the best tools we can possibly give the kids of Winston County, to be able to go out and get these jobs right out of high school, to prepare for that two-year degree,” Gray explained.
One of the biggest needs at the career tech center is upgrades in equipment, according to Gray.
“What they are using out in the workforce a lot of times is not what we have,” Gray stated, “because a lot of our equipment is older and outdated. We will have the most updated equipment to train our kids on, so when they leave us, they can go straight into the workforce and will be up to par on anything that is being used in the workforce right now.” 
It should be noted that equipment, as well as a complete interior makeover are being planned across all programs at the Winston Career Academy, including welding, health science, cosmetology, automotive, electrical, business and finance and family and consumer science, Gray said.
“All will be totally updated, renovated and brought up to the best standards out there,” Gray emphasized.
Scott also recalled he had never known of a $5 million allotment for any part of Winston County Schools.
“It’s invaluable what this is going to be able to do for our kids,” Scott said. “I want to really thank Senator Gudger because he allowed us to come to Montgomery and took about 30 minutes out of his day to meet with us.
“He asked what our three greatest needs were,” Scott added. “One of them was getting our tech school updated. One of them was transportation and one of them was more funding for special education.
“Transportation is fully funded. He got us the grant for career tech and funds were increased through the Raise Act for special education,” Scott continued. “He did everything that day that he told us he would do and came through for us.”
State Representative Tim Wadsworth said the $5 million will allow students using the Winston Career Academy an opportunity to have jobs and to prepare for future jobs.
“At the end of the day  you’ll keep students here in Winston County,” Wadsworth stated. “They  will live here. They’ll be trained here and they will be able to make a good living in Winston County because they will have the skill set that has been set forth.”