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Randolph County board hears plan to expand 6–12 career academies at Uri Ridge
Summary
Officials presented a proposal to make Uri Ridge a countywide, career-focused 6–12 campus with a seven-year career development plan, middle-school experiential trips, high-school career academies and three Randolph Community College credential pathways; staff estimate annual operating costs of $35,000–$45,000 and described logistics for daily transportation and protected seats with RCC.
The Randolph County Board of Education on Tuesday heard a detailed plan to expand career-focused programming at the district’s Uri Ridge 6–12 campus, including partnerships with Randolph Community College to offer college-credit credential pathways in plumbing, introductory photography and collision-repair technology.
David Cross, who led the presentation, said the goal is a seven-year, grades-6-through-12 career development program that exposes every student to hands-on career experiences. “We want all students to be immersed in extensive career-focused 7 year programming,” Cross said, describing middle-school trips, grade-by-grade career activities and a new set of high-school career academies linked to employers and RCC.
The proposal calls for guaranteed ("protected") seats on RCC's campus for Uri Ridge students in the three RCC pathways and a district plan to bus students to RCC for part of the day. Cross outlined staffing and calendar logistics: a part-time staff member would ride with students on the bus, supervise on the college campus and manage virtual learning days; the district projects annual operating costs of about $35,000 to $45,000 to run the program once equipment and start-up purchases are completed.
Cross said the district selected plumbing, photography and collision repair because they are hands-on credentials that match local employer demand and can yield tangible hire-ready outcomes for students. He described plumbing as a one-year, two-course sequence that can be delivered on RCC’s plumbing lab (Tuesdays and Thursdays in person, with virtual work other days), and collision repair as an accelerated two-semester, dual-credit sequence that could award recognized industry credentials.
Board members pressed on enrollment and extracurricular implications. One board member noted historical under-enrollment at the campus — “we had a school built for 650 students and we had 339 kids there” — and asked how the program would attract and retain students who might otherwise transfer for athletics or other reasons. Cross and his colleagues said marketing and a multi-tiered recruitment plan (middle-school tours, social media, targeted assemblies and a theme day) will be essential and that the district will run student surveys and adjust programming based on feedback.
Several members also raised logistics and risk questions: what happens when an RCC instructor or the supervising staff member is absent; who covers consumables and equipment costs (for example, cameras and paint supplies); and whether course calendars can be synchronized. Cross said the district will build internal controls, a plan B for supervision, and continue negotiating calendar details with RCC.
The district emphasized the proposal is designed to connect students to local workforce needs and to offer credentials that make graduates immediately employable or ready for further postsecondary study. Cross asked for board feedback and said staff will continue to flesh out operational details over the spring before implementation.
The board did not take a binding vote on the Uri Ridge plan at the meeting; the presentation closed with broad support for continuing development and more detailed planning.
