District has plans for new Sussex Technical High School
A new 353,000-square-foot, three-story, $177.6 million Sussex Technical High School has cleared several hurdles as plans progress for the facility along Route 9 between Georgetown and Laurel.
Superintendent Dr. Kevin Carson said construction could take place within the next four to five years on the 87-acre campus. Carson has served as superintendent since 2020.
The Delaware Department of Education has approved the school's certificate of necessity, and the Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission has approved the school's preliminary site plan. A final site plan will be subject to review and approval by the commission.
The state’s projected share of construction is $106.58 million (60%) and the local share is $71 million (40%). The local portion is paid by all county property owners through the county vocational tax.
The plan is preliminary at this stage. It is subject to change after all funding is secured, and teachers and staff have had an opportunity to view the plans and offer their feedback, Carson said.
Parts of the school date back to the original construction in 1961, when half-day vocational programs were offered to county students. It became a full-time high school in 1991.
Room for more students
During a May 31 press conference, Carson said plans include construction of a three-story building near the existing school and the repurposing of several buildings on the campus, including the current entrance. Most of the existing school will be torn down to make way for a new multiuse stadium.
He said construction of the new school must be completed before any demolition can take place.
The new school will expand to allow for 1,600 students, with additional space to expand to 1,800 students with unfinished room on the third floor. The enrollment is currently 1,375 students.
“This school is in demand. We have good teachers and multiple opportunities for students,” Carson said. “The demand is there for us to build a bigger school.”
He said 879 students applied in the lottery system for next year's freshman class; there’s only room for 350 students.
Adult ed at Tech
Sussex Tech is not like any other high school in the county because it also offers 18 tech programs for adults after the school day ends, from 3:30 to 9 p.m. Carson said 2,500 students are enrolled in adult education programs, including construction trades, healthcare and dental, English as a second language, CDL training, marine services and driver's education. Tech is also home to the James H. Groves Adult High School.
Plans for school
The plan includes a new 600-seat auditorium, new and renovated gyms, and seven sports fields.
The first floor is devoted to vocational tech classrooms and labs, an auditorium, dining commons, gym, courtyards and performing arts.
The second floor will include general education classrooms and a media center. The third floor will include classrooms, a lecture hall and arts programming.
Carson said the new facility will also provide opportunities for the public to be more involved with the school. He said the public can eat lunch prepared by culinary arts students and have personal-care services by cosmetology students.
Carson said the new school will provide a circular flow of traffic with separate entrances for buses, and students and drop-offs.
The expansion will allow for more adult education programing, including a new heavy equipment operators training program across Route 9 on a 50-acre site owned by the school.
“The next three to four years are going to be an exciting time at Tech as we see dirt moving,” Carson said.
