SCHOOL IS RESULT OF COOPERATIVE PARTNERSHIPS

Groundbreaking was held this past week for the new Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center along I-55 in Cape Girardeau. This is a cooperative effort of countless individuals who have worked for years to make this new school a reality.

The state has been a 50-50 partner with local school districts in funding these vocational-technical buildings. And so it has been here, where for the last three state budget years there has been three phases of funding totaling $3.15 million. It hasn't been easy for our state legislators to deliver these appropriations, and they are to be saluted for perseverance when at times it looked as though the flow of these funds could have stopped. The other partners include the Cape Girardeau School District, which provides the other half of construction funding, and the other seven area districts whose students benefit from instruction at the facility.

Cost overruns have resulted in the need for additional requests from the state totaling $1.8 million. With plenty of demand on scarce resources, securing this additional state money won't be easy.

This facility represents enormous promise for our entire region. Extra efforts in cooperation have gotten us this far, and more of the same will be needed to finish the job.