TCSG Grant to Establish Paulding College and Career Academy in Dallas

Paulding County will receive a $3 million grant through the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), which will be matched with local funding to support startup costs, construction and initial staffing for the Paulding College and Career Academy, according to Marores Perry, director, Career Technical Agricultural Education for the Paulding County School District.
Ms. Perry spoke to Paulding commissioners last week during the board’s first-morning session of 2018 regarding what the funding will go toward and also gave an update regarding school programs. Gov. Nathan Deal announced in December that the board of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) approved grants totaling $9 million to establish new College and Career Academies in Greene County, Paulding County, and Marietta. Each of the three academies will receive $3 million.
Chattahoochee Technical College will collaborate with local partners to establish both the Marietta High School College and Career Academy in Marietta, and the Paulding County College and Career Academy in Dallas.
Ms. Perry told Paulding commissioners that plans are to remodel the New Hope Education Center and to expand joint enrollment options to students.
Students are taking advantage of dual enrollment in college courses and the numbers have been increasing, Perry said.
The number of joint enrollment students across the Paulding County School District rose from 275 last year to 409 enrolled this fall, and the number of courses taken increased from 744 in fall last year to 893 this year, Perry said.
“We’re hoping that with the opening of the PCCA that joint enrollment will double,” she said, and added that access will help some students to take classes that they can’t right now.The Academy will serve about 800 students in two shifts per semester, Perry said. And there is no capacity on joint enrollment.
Classes offered will not conflict with those already offered at high schools, Perry said and added that they are not intended to compete with those. Subject areas include Healthcare, IT, Advanced Manufacturing and Energy.
“The academies play an important role in encouraging high school students to dually enroll in college. Last year, more than 21,000 high school students received credits at a Georgia technical college,” said TCSG Commissioner Gretchen Corbin. Governor Deal emphasized the importance of providing opportunities that better prepare students for the future.
“Many of Georgia’s current and future employment opportunities require some form of education beyond high school,” Deal said. “To help meet this demand, Georgia’s College and Career Academies bring together the resources of local education systems and the technical college system to better prepare students to enter the workforce or pursue other options in higher education. Community support is critical in our efforts to cultivate educational settings that introduce students to high-demand fields and provide greater opportunities for academic achievement across the state. With these three new academies, TCSG is continuing to establish innovative partnerships that will serve Georgia students well for years to come.”
A majority of Paulding residents still currently commute to jobs outside of the county. And, conversely, Perry told the board that 60 percent of local jobs are filled by people who live outside the county, and a goal for the academy, she said, is to work toward reducing that percentage.

Chattahoochee Technical College representatives and local business partners join Paulding County College and Career Academy CEO Marores Perry (4th from right) and academy leaders recently in recognition of the December 2017 College and Career Academy TCSG Grant Announcement. (Submitted, Paulding County School District)