A proposal to offer culinary arts and high-tech media programs on the Santa Rita High School campus next school year received final approval earlier this week.
The programs will be run by the Pima County Joint Technological Education District and will be open to all public, charter, private and home-school students who are eligible to attend high school in Pima County.
The Tucson Unified School District approved the programs last week and on Tuesday, the JTED board approved the plan 4-1. The dissenting vote was from Board Clerk Alex Jácome.
TUSD wouldn't be responsible for construction, staffing or maintenance of the facilities - that would all be handled by JTED. TUSD would only lease the land on which the facilities would be built.
The facilities will include a 10,000-square-foot building with two commercial-grade kitchens - one instructional and one production - as well as a dining and meeting space for 250 people.
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The dining and meeting space could be rented to the public and provide work-based experience for students.
The audiovisual and interactive-digital-media programs will be housed in a 3,000-square-foot building.
Santa Rita, 3951 S. Pantano Road, will continue to provide beginning culinary arts instruction to prepare students for JTED's advanced programs.
Contact reporter Alexis Huicochea at ahuicochea@azstarnet.com or 573-4175.
