Taylor May Get Tech Center
Taylor school officials are making plans for a possible "advanced technology center" (ATC) at which Eastern Williamson County high school students and others could study auto repair, electrical engineering, building trades, graphic design, computer technology and other high-tech fields.

Taylor Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Bruce Scott and S. Chuck McCarter, executive director of the Central Texas Tech Prep Consortium in Temple, have developed a timeline and plan of action in hopes of making such a center, which would serve Taylor, Granger, Thrall, Hutto and Coupland students, a reality.

"The top 10 percent at local high schools will go to college," McCarter said. "And the bottom 10 percent have programs to help them out. Students in the middle aren't being served. An ATC in Taylor would allow students in their junior and senior years to take courses so that when they graduate from high school they'd have industry-recognized certification in a high-tech field in addition to their diplomas."

McCarter said he thinks such high-tech training and having a central place to offer it will help drive the future growth of Taylor and east Williamson County and demonstrate to students the benefits of high-tech work.

"We're trying to promote workforce development," he said. "Business and industry will only want to relocate to the area if there is skilled labor there to work for them. Unfortunately, student interest in careers in technology is on the wane because they see it as second-class. But if you're a technician at a Mercedes-Benz shop, like they have in Georgetown, you're going to make $90 an hour. Now what's wrong with that? If we had this center, with all that technology and a great-looking facility, you could use it as a recruiting tool for both students and industry."

Funding for such a center could come primarily from grants and area school districts. Each ISD would contribute money to an ATC pool, and their students would be able to attend classes at the center in Taylor.

"It's a way for the smaller school systems to have access to programs that they couldn't otherwise offer," Scott said. "Texas already has 18 or 19 ATCs. The oldest one is about 10 years old, the Byron Martin ATC in Lubbock, and it's been very successful. Technology education is just expensive. A collaborative ATC is a better use of funds."

Scott also said the district is looking into grants to buy property for the center. A recent issue of the Hutto Economic Development Corporation newsletter incorrectly reported that the former Wal-Mart building in Taylor had been purchased by the Taylor Independent School District for an ATC.

"That was just a rumor," Scott said. "It would be a nice option, though. We'd need at least 60,000 square feet, be able to house seven or eight auto bays and want a place that out-of-town students could access easily."

Scott has presented the timeline he and McCarter developed to the Taylor ISD Board of Trustees. It outlines several steps to be taken if Taylor is to house an ATC.

First, an advisory board including representatives from government, business, chambers of commerce, Temple College, area superintendents, local city representatives and others is planned to be established later this month. The board will attempt to identify the needs and issues of the community in regard to the project, and some members will visit other ATCs in the state.

In September or October, a survey will be sent to schools and business leaders to determine the focus and specialities of a Taylor ATC. Plans for financing are scheduled to be discussed in October.

Scott and McCarter hope design work can begin by next January, with construction and hiring in the summer and fall of next year and classes beginning in the spring of 2007.

If plans for the ATC do go ahead, McCarter said he thinks it will be a valuable asset for east Williamson County and its young people.

"It really would make a significant difference in the motivation of our students and staff, and especially the kids who don't have as many doors open to them as we would like," he said.