DeKalb County Schools will receive an $18 million grant from the state to build a new Career Tech Center, Superintendent Wayne Lyles announced during a Board of Education meeting on August 21.
“I have been informed by State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey that DeKalb County Schools Career Tech Center will be receiving 1$18 million to go toward funding our new Career Tech Center,” Lyles said. “We just appreciate it so much!”
The new facility will span approximately 95,000 square feet at an estimated cost of $40 million, with the grant covering nearly half of the project, which will be located on a 42-acre site in the Rainsville Industrial Park near RTI and the DeKalb County 911 Center. The land was purchased last year with the help of the Rainsville City Council and the Rainsville Industrial Board.
Lyles noted that enrollment at the current 50-year-old facility has grown from 401 students in 2021 to more than 830 this year, creating the need for a larger and safer campus. The new center will house programs in cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, and business multimedia marketing, as well as a Fine Arts Academy with an 800-seat theater.
“This grant is going to enhance educational opportunities for all students in DeKalb County, and that’s Fort Payne City as well,” Lyles said, crediting Fort Payne City Schools for partnering to help the project qualify as a regional workforce development center.
Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville), who helped secure $100 million statewide for Career Tech grants, said the investment was critical to building Alabama’s future workforce.
“Workforce participation in Alabama is lower than anywhere else in the country at 57. I really believe that we, and after looking at everything I looked at and trying to figure out a way to get this done, I think we have actually failed a generation because we have not given them the opportunity to learn a trade or to learn to be skilled in a skill set that they could use,” Ledbetter said.
He emphasized the importance of expanding Career Tech opportunities across the state.
“If it comes through the House of Representatives, we’ll have it again next year, or we won’t pass the budget. So, I do think it’s that important,” he said.
Ledbetter also pointed to the rapid evolution of the job market.
“Over four years ago, 60 of the jobs we have today didn’t exist. But when it comes to CareerTech, we have got to have our head on a swivel and see what’s going to impact our kids not only today but 5, 10, 15 years down the road.”
Senate Majority Leader Steve Livingston (R-Scottsboro) also praised the project.
“Our current facility is 52 years old, 53 I believe, 53rd school year. We’ve had school in the DeKalb Career Tech Center, and it’s served us well, but it’s long overdue for an upgrade to meet the technology needs of today’s workforce. I’m excited about this project. I can’t wait to see what it does for the students and citizens of this county and Northeast Alabama.”
With DeKalb County now set to build a state-of-the-art Career Tech Center, the investment highlights Alabama’s push to strengthen career and technical education statewide. Leaders say the initiative will not only prepare students for modern, high-demand jobs but also help secure Alabama’s long-term economic growth by developing one of the nation’s most skilled workforces.
Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].
