District breaks ground at Jefferson High School for college and career pathways model

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Work is now underway to prepare Jefferson High School for the new College and Career Pathways starting next school year.

Wednesday, the Cedar Rapids Community School District broke ground on the renovation and expansion of Jefferson High School.

This construction will build the Freshman Academy and a Career and Technical Education Center as a part of the new career pathways program.

The CTE center will house some of the technical programs that already exist in the school, like construction and automotive. Programs involving aviation will also be added to the building.

Superintendent Tawana Grover said these additions will help students leave high school with more than just a degree.

“We know that when we expose student to our career opportunities, they have an opportunity to kind of figure out things that they like and things that maybe they don’t but I think what excites us most is being a part of the growth of what we’re seeing here in the city and being a part of being able to attract industry knowing that we have a solid workforce that we’re graduating from our high schools,” Grover said.

Freshman seminars are optional next school year, but will be required for all 9th grade students the following year.

This expansion project is costing 30 million dollars.