Video: New Career Tech Center Land Purchased

LOWNDES CO., Miss. (WCBI) — The Lowndes County School District Board of Trustees approved the purchase of land that will be the new home of a career technology center.

The board held a workshop Thursday to review preliminary budgets after Governor Phil Bryant signed the education funding bill, Wednesday.

The purchase is land near the Lowndes Funeral Home.

Superintendent Lynn Wright said the district will be accepting contract bids at the end of June, and hopes to break ground last week of July.

“We’ll be offering about twelve to fourteen different classes…that will be applicable not only to the jobs in this area but across the state…”, said Wright.

Wright said once the project breaks ground, construction should be complete “in a maximum 18 months.”

Wright also said preliminary budgets show the district may have to crunch some numbers.

“…because of step raises that our employees have had that are built into their contracts, we may end up short by about $600,000 dollars…”, said Wright, “…we were going through plans we have through attrition with some of our employees that are retiring or leaving the district that we’re going to try and shift some people around and cover this amount.”

In the end, Wright is confident the district won’t face any budget issues.