Maury County’s Education Boom: New Resources Help County Continue to Thrive
A new high school, new technology center and new extension facility are all in the works to meet the needs of a growing Maury County. As educational facilities expand, so do opportunities for residents to pursue their passions and professional ambitions in the region.
In This Article
Lessons in Ag
A $2.2 million project allows the University of Tennessee Agriculture Extension facility to expand educational programs in agriculture, family and consumer sciences, community resource development, and 4-H Youth Development.
“The new facility will allow the University of Tennessee/Tennessee State University extension office to offer expanded and completely new educational programs to the community,” says Starla Hardin, county director. “We will have a beautiful location, plenty of accessible parking, an event space and kitchen for programming, and a multi-acre outdoor classroom. We are so excited for the opportunities this facility will bring and happy to be partnering with Maury County Parks & Recreation to better serve Maury County citizens.”
The new outdoor classroom space will accommodate master gardener classes and 4-H wildlife and forestry teams. In addition, agriculture and natural resources programs include courses like master beef, master farm manager and farming fundamentals as well as pesticide certifications.
Other extension programs range from 4-H, including Vet Science Camp, STEM Nights and livestock shows, to family and consumer science programs, including Healthier Maury County, a diabetes prevention program, and food and nutrition classes.
New Tech Center
Maury County’s growth comes with a diversified economy and a need to ready the workforce to fill positions created by business and industry.
The new Southern Regional Technology Center on the Columbia State Community College (CSCC) campus is key to meeting the demand for workforce readiness.
“This new center is an opportunity for us to better serve our community and students,” says CSCC President Janet F. Smith. “We are extremely proud of this project. It will be the largest building on campus and have a modern design, while also fitting in with our existing buildings.”
The building will be approximately 100,000 square feet and will house programs ranging from health care to tech industries.
“We already offer excellent health education options – all of which will benefit from the new spaces created in the new facility,” Smith says. “We’ll also be able to provide better spaces for our electronics, mechatronics and electrical engineering programs.”
The building will share its space with the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology’s Hohenwald and Pulaski programs, housing automotive, practical nursing and industrial maintenance from Hohenwald and HVAC, industrial maintenance, welding and CNC machining programs from Pulaski.
“These collaborations and partnerships allow us to serve our region’s citizens and industries,” Smith says.
The community support is evident through the successful funding initiative. Tennessee requires that colleges raise a percentage of the cost of new buildings to show support and commitment for projects. For Columbia State, that meant $3 million had to be successfully raised prior to the approval of state funding.
“We have groups all across the community that have contributed,” Smith says. “Support for this project is very much embedded in the community.”
The project is currently in the design phase with groundbreaking planned for fall 2024. The building should be ready in either winter 2027 or spring 2028.
“These collaborations and partnerships allow us to serve our region’s citizens and industries.”
– Janet F. Smith, Columbia State Community College
Spring Hill School
The new Battle Creek High School in Spring Hill will open fall 2024 with ninth and 10th graders, and then add the two additional grades over the following two years.
Based on current enrollment projections, BCHS will open with just under 600 students, according to Superintendent Lisa Ventura.
When fully open, the 300,000-square-foot complex will hold just over 2,200 students. Growth patterns in the Spring Hill area – including an estimated 11,000 new single-family homes, apartments and condominiums – determined the need for the project.
Mike Kinnard will be the principal of the new school.
“His record for academic, instructional and athletic excellence will serve us well in opening this new school,” Ventura says.
With state-of-the-art technology and ample room for art and sports activities, the school will be an outlet for opportunities for local students.
“Maury County Public Schools is very excited to open this school and watch it flourish,” Ventura says. “Because of the expanding growth all over Maury County, this school is a necessity to continue to provide a high quality, safe and appropriate environment for our students.”
ALIGN Maury Links Workforce Development to Industry Needs
From classroom to career, ALIGN Maury bridges the gap between industry and talent.
The program, an initiative of the Maury County Chamber & Economic Alliance (Maury Alliance), ensures a skilled and qualified workforce is available to meet the needs of employers. By facilitating connections and collaborations, ALIGN Maury strives to strengthen the county’s economy and create a win-win situation for both businesses and job seekers.
“Working to better align local workforce development training programs with actual employee-skill demands remains a critical component of the Maury Alliance plan of work and is accomplished through the ALIGN Maury program,” says Travis Groth, vice president of economic development at the Maury Alliance.
ALIGN partners include Columbia State Community College, Maury County Public Schools, Columbia Academy, and other educational institutions, organizations and businesses. These partnerships focus on expanding work-based learning programs at all levels, addressing skills and training gaps of the workforce, and mobilizing community leaders to address educational and training needs.
A skilled workforce is an asset as Maury County grows and attracts new investment, including from the Ultium Cells battery expansion in Spring Hill, which created 400 new jobs in 2023 for a total of 1,700. ALIGN connects those and other companies seeking skilled workers with institutions that offer programs to develop those skills. The result: Businesses employ qualified workers, and Maury County’s citizens find attractive career opportunities.