The effort to raise money for a proposed Career Impact Academy in Grand Forks has surpassed the halfway point with the Grand Forks County Commission chipping in some $400,000 dollars towards the plan.
With land costs around $5.5 million dollars has pledged towards the CIA to date. Supporters say another $2.3 million is pending in the hopes of matching a $10 million dollar state grant. The goal of the academy is to train students for workforce shortages in the trades.
As for ongoing costs CTE Executive Eric Ripley told school board members last night (Tuesday) that there is state funding available. “It starts out at 40%. That’s the flat CTE center rate. The rate has an escalator on it and for every school district you get a plus 4…so if you have 2 school districts involved you get 48%. We have seven partnering school districts plus Grand Forks. So that’s on the cost of salary…benefits…supplies…and travel.”
Ripley says equipment costs would be supported in part through federal reimbursement. The CIA is being planned for the former Holiday Inn property off Gateway Drive.
The application for state construction funding is December 1st.
Pic rendering supplied by GF Schools
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