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Board approves Gordon Cooper aviation campus; center to expand high school and adult aviation instruction
Summary
The CareerTech board approved designation of the Gordon Cooper Technology Center Aviation Campus in Shawnee after trustees confirmed the site meets rules requiring five full-time instructors; the campus already enrolls high school students and plans an additional high-school instructor in August.
The Oklahoma CareerTech Board voted to approve the Gordon Cooper Technology Center Aviation Campus in Shawnee, allowing the campus to access state funding tied to approved campuses.
Julie McCormick, superintendent of Gordon Cooper, told the board the aviation campus sits on airport property in Shawnee and currently operates three adult instructors (general, airframe and power plant) and one high-school instructor. She said the center will add a second high-school instructor in August and currently has 46 high-school students enrolled.
“We have an aviation campus in Shawnee across, from the hospital. It's on the airport property,” McCormick said. She told the board the high-school program is two years in length; students complete the general maintenance portion and take the general maintenance test before becoming eligible to enroll in airframe and power plant adult programs.
Board members asked about capacity and local demand. McCormick said an instructor typically teaches 16–18 students in morning and afternoon sessions, and that the center has turned away eligible high-school applicants in recent years because a single high-school instructor limited capacity.
Board staff noted that agency rules permit campus approval when a site has five full-time instructors and other location and capacity criteria. The director said approving the campus will increase the count of approved campuses to 63 and make that site eligible for the campus portion of state funding.
Board members voted by roll call; each voting member recorded a “yes” and the motion passed.
Ending: With the campus designation approved, Gordon Cooper can proceed to hire and schedule the added instructor and become eligible for the relevant portion of CareerTech funding. The board did not specify a separate implementation schedule beyond the normal funding and reporting processes.
