Superintendent says Innovation Center lease signed; CTE programs to be offered countywide

HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. — Superintendent Dr. Langford told the Sumner County Education Committee on Aug. 4 that the district signed a lease for an Innovation Center last week and has taken occupancy of the building, and that the center will host career and technical education (CTE) programs serving students countywide.

“We signed the lease, on Tuesday last week. ... All utilities have been switched over to Sumner County. We began moving some offices on Friday when we took over the building,” Dr. Langford said. He said the district’s CTE team will operate the Innovation Center and that a more comprehensive rollout plan will be shared in September.

Dr. Langford said planned programs include an Aviation Academy, criminal justice, and several dual-enrollment classes. He said combining students from multiple high schools will help form enough enrollment to run specialized classes that would be difficult to sustain at a single school.

He described transportation planning as a key operational issue: “It's 41 minutes from Westmoreland High School to the Innovation Center,” he said, explaining scheduling and travel-time considerations for block scheduling and return trips.

Public commenter Kevin Baker, who identified his address, said he expected more transparency and quantitative reporting on the Innovation Center’s outcomes. “If this is such a great idea, let's tout it. And I would expect a a a report at some frequency so that we actually can look at things,” Baker said during the public comment period.

The superintendent said staff will provide a rollout plan and additional details in September but did not present a fixed schedule of performance reports or specific metrics at the meeting. No formal board action to adopt performance-reporting requirements for the Innovation Center was recorded in the public meeting transcript.