Board to Hear About Future of WDT Campus

A technical high school and a new city/county library are two of the ideas that are being talked about in the context of the development of a new Master Site Plan for Western Dakota Tech. Tonight, WDT President Craig Bailey will give an update on the development of the Master Site Plan (see image), talk about the school’s effort to conduct a “Green Audit” and provide the Board with an overview of WDT’s efforts to provide training assistance to workers laid off by the closing of SCI-Sanmina this year.

An architect's concept drawing for the WDT Master Plan envisions the construction of a new "Rushmore" building (orange) and a technical high school (dark blue).

The Western Dakota Tech Board of Education includes all of the members of the Rapid City Area Schools Board of Education as well as a number of ex-officio members from the community and the student body who provide advice to the RCAS School Board members.

The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, April 23, in Rooms A&B in the Mickelson Building on the WDT Campus.

For background on the continuing debate over the governance of the state’s Technical Institutes, see Barbara Soderlin’s recent article in the Rapid City Journal on April 20, 2009.

Board to Consider Raising Fees at WDT

At their regular meeting tonight the Rapid City Board of Education will consider raising fees for students attending Western Dakota Tech. The administration has recommended an 11.4 percent rise in the institutional fee which would mean that students would pay $44.00 per credit hour rather than $39.50. If approved by the Board, this increase in the institutional fee would be the first in three years. The administration is also recommending that students in the Fire Science program be charged a $100 to pay for materials and resources consumed by the instructional program.

Under the Superintendent’s report tonight, Liz Hamburg will report on the continuing success of the Partnership Rapid City program. Created to provide students with real-life learning opportunities, Partnership Rapid City has expanded significantly over the last three years as employers and community members have stepped forward to offer apprenticeships, mentorships and other opportunities for students to apply their knowledge in real-world situations.

The Board of Education meeting begins tonight at 5:30 pm in the City/School Administration Center at 300 Sixth Street. The meeting will take place in the Council Chambers on the second floor.  For a copy of the agenda, go to the RCAS website and click on the link in today’s calendar box.