CBOC reviews bond progress; hears from recent fire academy graduate
Aug. 11, 2015 - The Citizens Bond Oversight Committee met August 10 to review progress the AISD has made implementing the 2014 Bond package.
The committee heard updates from district leaders in each of the areas receiving bond funds: facilities, technology, fine arts, transportation and security. (Click here to see all the materials from the meeting.)
The meeting’s final presentation came from Craig Wright, AISD director of career and technical education. Wright said that course requests for career tech classes for the upcoming school year grew 25 percent from last year. This growing demand from students highlights the need for the future Career and Technical Center and the Agricultural Science Center. Both facilities, funded by the bond, will help meet the demand and offer students premier educational opportunities in state-of-the-art facilities. “It really is a neat time to be a kid in Arlington,” Wright said as he spoke of the new facilities, new programs, additional industry certifications and internship opportunities for students. “They’re going to have some tremendous opportunities because of the bond.”
Wright then introduced a recent graduate of the AISD Fire Academy. Nathaniel B., who graduated in June, is currently a volunteer fireman and is applying for a full-time position at several local departments. He shared with the committee how the Fire Academy changed his life, giving him direction and teaching real-world skills and responsibility. He said that the training and certifications he received as a high school student made him highly prepared and qualified for the work force, and miles ahead of other, older firefighter applicants who did not have the same opportunities in high school.
The AISD Fire Academy, which works closely with the Arlington Fire Department, will receive state-of-the-art facilities in the future Career and Technical Center, slated for completion in the summer 2017.
This was the final CBOC meeting for the 2014-2015 year.