AN ACT to appropriate funds to expand the southeast area TECHNICAL high school in new hanover county.

Whereas, in the fall of 2017, New Hanover County Schools opened Southeast Area Technical High School (SEA‑Tech) as a choice‑based cooperative innovative high school available to students in the Wilmington Metro region of North Carolina; and

Whereas, in partnership with Cape Fear Community College (CFCC), SEA‑Tech utilizes the cooperative innovative high school model to provide an early college experience to empower students to be college‑ and career‑ready with options to enter the workforce at an advanced level or continue into a postsecondary training institution. Students at the school can earn a traditional high school diploma while having no‑cost access to career‑based credentials and certifications offered by CFCC; and

Whereas, the future master plan for the facility includes spaces to further support many programs on‑site, including:

(1)        A culinary arts classroom to allow students to apprentice from a trained chef.

(2)        A carpentry shop to allow students to develop hands‑on skills for a career in residential construction.

(3)        A makerspace to allow students to develop other hands‑on skills such as 3D printing, soldering, and sewing.

(4)        Public safety spaces to afford students the environment to learn emergency management training skills from trained emergency professionals.

(5)        Computer labs to train students in health‑science medical coding, hospitality and tourism, and sports management.

(6)        A coffee bar to allow students to develop skills in entrepreneurship, by fostering planning and financial management, and implementing both production‑ and service‑oriented skills.

(7)        A career center with on‑site counselors to help guide students with their path to real‑world employment; and

Whereas, in addition to offering on‑site academies for their curriculum, the on‑site spaces are designed to further foster career development. Operable walls and mobile furniture will allow maximum flexibility. Interactive state‑of‑the‑art flat panel display screens will bring technology to the forefront of learning in each core class; and

Whereas, in the fall of 2019, SEA‑Tech relocated from the North Campus of CFCC to a New Hanover County Schools–owned location that is currently being used as a temporary elementary school one‑half mile from the campus; and

Whereas, funding is needed to help SEA‑Tech continue to grow to serve the employment needs of the surrounding region; and

Whereas, funding in the amount of $3,150,000 was included in House Bill 966, the Current Operations Appropriations Act of 2019, to support the expansion of SEA‑Tech's innovative curriculum in partnership with CFCC; however, House Bill 966 was vetoed by the Governor and the funds were not received by New Hanover County Schools; Now, therefore,

the General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction the sum of three million one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($3,150,000) for the 2021‑2022 fiscal year to be allocated to New Hanover County Schools to build a facility to support the expansion of the Southeast Area Technical High School's innovative curriculum in partnership with Cape Fear Community College, which will support the growth and development of the Cape Fear region.

SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2021.