The new year is underway with an old question still unanswered for McDonough County’s school districts: Where will the proposed Career and Technical Education Center be built?
The Bushnell-Prairie and West Prairie school districts, along with Spoon River College and the Macomb Area Economic Development Corporation, prefer a site near the college’s new campus on East Jackson Street in Macomb. They say that location is visible to visitors and those who might be thinking about bringing a business to the area.
Macomb school superintendent Patrick Twomey has pushed for a site at Macomb High School. But after a recent meeting with the other partners, he’s more open to the other location.
He said it will require a shift in the district’s philosophy.
Normally the district encourages its students to try a variety of subjects. But Twomey feels CTE classes should be for students who don’t want to pursue a college degree.
“I’ll give you an example. If there’s a mechanics class, and there’s eight seats available, I don’t want just any student at Macomb High to be able to take those eight seats. I want the eight seats taken by eight students who actually may want to be a mechanic,” he said.
“I want to be very selective about who is sitting in those seats initially, making sure it’s the students who the parents believe (and) we believe career and technical education is the right path for them.”
Twomey said the Macomb school board might hold a special meeting this month to discuss a location and make a decision on what the district will do.
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