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Board approves Gordon Cooper Aviation campus, making it eligible for state campus funding
Summary
The Oklahoma CareerTech State Board approved the Gordon Cooper Technology Center Aviation Campus in Shawnee after a presentation on staffing and enrollment; approval makes the site eligible for a campus share of state operational funding and raises the total approved campuses to 63.
The Oklahoma CareerTech State Board voted to approve the Gordon Cooper Technology Center Aviation Campus in Shawnee, making the site eligible for a share of state campus funding.
Director Hakan introduced the item and said the board must approve a campus when it meets statutory and agency criteria. “Our rules state that any campus can be considered when it has 5 full time instructors,” Hakan said, explaining that approval unlocks eligibility for a portion of state operational funding.
Julie, the superintendent at Gordon Cooper Technology Center, described the campus location on airport property and current staffing and enrollment. “We have an enrollment of 46 students already in the high school program,” she said, and noted the center expects to add another high-school instructor in August to reach the five-instructor threshold that qualifies the campus for approval.
Julie said high-school students complete a two-year general program and often move directly into aviation maintenance jobs; she added that adult training pathways (airframe and power plant) are important to meet workforce demand. Director Hakan and Julie cited industry commitments and local placement opportunities as drivers for expansion.
Board members asked questions about capacity, testing options and how campus approval affects funding. Hakan explained that campus approval is one of several statutory considerations that allow a site to be eligible for a portion of state funding and that the approval would bring the total approved campuses to 63.
The board moved and seconded approval and passed the motion in a roll-call vote with all members present voting yes. The vote followed the presentation and discussion and did not require moving into executive session.
The board did not attach additional conditions to the approval; the director noted that campus approval alone does not guarantee specific dollar amounts but makes a site eligible for the campus portion of CareerTech’s operational funding formula.
