School of Applied Technology Board to Exist for One More Year

By Alyssa Schnugg
News Editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

The School of Applied Technology will continue to operate “as is” for at least one more year.

On Monday, the Oxford School District Board approved the latest version of the contract that was approved by the Lafayette County School Board earlier this month.

Superintendent Brian Harvey said after the version the OSD approved last month was sent to LCSD, it was returned to him with only a few minor changes requested by the LCSD, including adding the name of the SAT Director, Joey Carpenter.

“We had no issue with doing that,” Harvey said.

The contract will allow keeping the SAT board intact for the 2019-2020 school year and then the board will disband since the OSD expressed its intent to leave the consortium with LCSD and create its own Career Technology Education program so it can receive funding from the state.

While the agreement gives the two boards some time to work together on how The Tech will be managed after the agreement ends in a year, it’s not a lot of time, according to Harvey.

“Whatever plan we come up with, has to be approved by January so that students can start choosing their classes for the following year,” he said Monday.

Both school districts jointly own the building and the land where The Tech is located. Both school districts have previously stated their wishes to continue The Tech and offer the programs to benefit all Oxford and Lafayette County students.

Harvey also presented a Resolution of Intent to Withdraw from the consortium at the end of the 2019-2020 school year and expresses the OSD’s intent and “desire” to continue to working with the LCSD under a new arrangement to continue to offer classes at The Tech for Oxford and Lafayette students.

Harvey said the resolution was not binding but its main purpose is to notify the LCSD and public of OSD’s intent to withdraw from the consortium after next school year.

The Board of Trustees approved the Resolution of Intent.

“This isn’t about us wanting to move out or not wanting to use that facility,” said outgoing Board President Gray Edmondson. “Our intention is to come to another arrangement that continues to allow us to use that space just under a new agreement.”

In other business Monday, the board approved appointing Trustee Ray Hill to serve as the board president starting in July and Trustee Betsy Smith to serve as secretary.