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Superintendent announces Marion County College and Career Academy partnership with Beville State
Summary
Superintendent Sutton told the Hamilton City Council on Sept. 2 that the Marion County School System has signed an agreement with Beville State Community College to open the Marion County College and Career Academy on the Beville campus beginning in fall 2026.
Superintendent Sutton told the Hamilton City Council on Sept. 2 that the Marion County School System has signed an agreement with Beville State Community College to open the Marion County College and Career Academy on the Beville campus, a move the superintendent said will expand career-technical and dual-enrollment options for district students.
Sutton said the partnership is intended to consolidate career-tech programs that are now scattered across multiple high schools so students across the district will have access to a broader set of programs. The academy will initially serve grades 10 through 12, with in-person dual-enrollment opportunities and plans to start the transition in fall 2026. Sutton said administrators expect several hundred students to attend in the first years and that some students will be bused to Hamilton in shifts; juniors and seniors may be allowed to drive as the program matures.
Sutton described a three-phase plan: phase 1 is establishing programs on Beville’s campus and expanding available classes (Sutton said the partner college has space because many students there take online classes); phase 2 envisions constructing a dedicated building subject to outside funding; and phase 3 would continue incremental growth. The superintendent also said Beville State has expanded program credit so certificates earned there will now count toward high-school diplomas, a change Sutton said the state adopted earlier that summer.
Sutton said the district is not asking the council for funding at this meeting; the presentation was informational. Council members praised the partnership and said they view CareerTech expansion as a positive workforce-development step for Hamilton and the wider region.
The superintendent’s remarks emphasized access to career pathways such as nursing (LPN) and performing-arts-related career-tech options; he said a performing arts center could be available by 2027–28 contingent on securing instructors and outside funds.
