Kent City Schools opens Engineering and Advanced Technology Center with state CTE grant and industry partners
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Summary
Board members and staff showcased a new Engineering and Advanced Technology Center at Roosevelt High School funded with a state career-technical expansion grant, detailed new equipment including 5-axis machines and coordinate measuring capability, and described expanded student capacity and business partnerships.
The Kent City Schools Board of Education met April 15 at Theodore Roosevelt High School and toured the district’s new Engineering and Advanced Technology Center, a grant-funded career and technical education facility the district says will expand access to advanced manufacturing and engineering technology training.
The facility was paid for in part with a state career-technical expansion grant the district applied for after preparing a “shovel-ready” project package, board members and staff said. Superintendent Tom Larkin and program staff described new equipment, local business advisory support and a planned ribbon-cutting next week.
Tom Larkin, superintendent, told the board the district used the grant opportunity and local preparation to position the project for funding. Brian Battelle, a district career-technical staff member, described the facility’s purpose as “to enhance student experiences” and to give students skills in occupations local employers need. Troy Spear, a program instructor, explained the facility’s equipment and training focus: “We’re really excited about this because we are one of the first schools to be able to leap into the area called 5 axis,” Spear said, describing machines that rotate and tilt workpieces so students can program complex cuts.
Spears and other staff walked the board through the lab layout and equipment. Speakers identified the following items and instructional points: multi-axis CNC machines (5-axis capability), turn centers (combined lathe/mill machines), a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) used for micron-level part inspection, manual mills for foundational instruction, waterjet and CNC routers, and a bank of 3D printers. Staff emphasized that students will be taught programming and setup (programmer-operator skills), not only basic machine operation, to prepare them for higher-wage careers.
The district said the program also expanded recruitment and capacity: the existing classroom previously held about 18 students; the current incoming class capacity is 25 and enrollment for 2025–26 stood at 22 students in the program. Staff credited a business-and-industry advisory committee for vetting equipment purchases and said several new industrial partners have expressed interest since the facility opened.
Board and staff invited the community to an official ribbon-cutting next Thursday at 12:30 p.m., and said regional and state dignitaries and employer partners will attend. The district framed the center as part of a broader strategy to connect local secondary students to high-wage, in-demand jobs and to strengthen regional workforce pipelines.
The board did not take additional formal action on the facility at the April meeting beyond the superintendent’s presentation and staff remarks; contracting and budget approvals related to the project appeared on earlier or separate agenda items.
