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Horry County committee backs ATA electricity major proposal, asks that it be presented to full board
Summary
Committee heard details of a proposed ATA electricity major — curriculum, equipment, estimated $125,000 start-up cost and timeline — and approved sending the proposal to the full school board.
The curriculum committee reviewed a proposal to add an electricity major at ATA, heard staffing and facility requirements, and voted to forward the proposal to the full school board for consideration.
Presenters said the proposed electricity major would serve up to 25 students per instructor with a recommended minimum enrollment threshold of 15 students to run the course. Staffing requirements include a full-time instructor with appropriate industry experience and teaching credentials; presenters noted districts may use industry experience pathways for instructor certification. Facility work would include electrical upgrades to support six to eight dedicated student workstations and specialized equipment such as simulators and residential/commercial trainers. The program would offer hands-on labs, work-based learning opportunities and a 120-hour internship as part of the senior-year sequence.
Funding for start-up costs was estimated at about $125,000 and would come from Career and Technical Education Perkins funds, the district’s Education Improvement Act (EIA) funds and South Carolina Department of Education new-program funds if eligible. The implementation timeline presented expects recruitment in the 2025–26 school year, posting the instructor position in spring 2026, equipment and facility work in spring–summer 2026, and a program launch in the 2026–27 school year with the first junior cohort. The first graduating cohort would complete the program in spring 2028.
Presenters said students completing the program could pursue industry credentials (up to four credentials were listed in the presentation) and that local labor data indicated entry pay in the field for new workers at approximately $61,600 annually (presenters attributed the figure to labor-board data and anecdotal local examples). Presenters also noted coordination opportunities with nearby Horry-Georgetown Technical College and said district students could pursue concurrent enrollment college coursework without off-campus travel.
Committee members asked about recruiting and instructor hiring. Presenters described a recruitment strategy using videos, school visits, communications campaigns, feeder-school outreach, and open-house events; they also noted district outreach to charter and private schools. Staff said identifying a qualified instructor may be the program’s pacing constraint because experienced electricians can command competitive wages, and that the district could explore industry-experience certification pathways for instructors.
A motion to present the ATA electricity major to the full board was made and seconded; the committee voted in favor and staff said the proposal would be presented to the board that evening.
