SAN ANTONIO – A high-tech high school is on its way to downtown San Antonio with money from H-E-B and help from the local tech industry.
The school is set to open its doors in fall 2017 and will be the first in a network of what H-E-B is calling C.A.S.T. schools (Centers for Applied Science and Technology). The grocery chain and its CEO Charles Butt are putting $3.6 million toward opening the school, and plan to help open up to four more across the city.
C.A.S.T. Tech will be operated as a charter school in the San Antonio Independent School District but will partner with members of the industry, chiefly Tech Bloc, to guide its curriculum and provide internship opportunities. The goal of the venture is to get students ready for the high-tech jobs where qualified workers are in high demand.
"We know today that for every one graduate we produce in high tech or computer science there are 10 jobs available across our economy," said Kate Rogers, H-E-B vice-president for corporate communication and health promotion.
The school will provide two "pathways" for students. One will be geared toward careers in things like cybersecurity, coding, animation and digital media. The other will focus on business analytics, business administration, banking and informatics.
The school is "Looking at these industries that are fast growing where many of our children who live in poverty just can't see themselves," said SAISD Superintendent Pedro Martinez
Half the students will come from within the district and the others from around Bexar County. They will graduate with at least 30 hours of college coursework and possibly an associate degree. Graduates will also get guaranteed job interviews.
"These will be employable resources in our tech community coming out of high school. I strongly believe that," said Tech Bloc's David Heard.
The location of the school still hasn't been determined, but officials say they've narrowed it down to two locations somewhere in the downtown tech district. The final location will be announced later this month.
The school needs an estimated $5 million to get off the ground. The money will go to things like renovations and bringing on key staff to develop a curriculum.
H-E-B and Butt are already putting up $3.6 million.
"We're hoping after we make this announcement it's just going to come flowing in," Rogers said.
Once it opens, SAISD will pay for and operate C.A.S.T. Tech as a charter school. The district plans to train teachers to replicate some of the programs in its other schools, too.
Rogers said H-E-B plans on helping start up to four more of the schools across the city. The next one will be geared toward advanced manufacturing, she said, and will be announced on the heels of C.A.S.T. Tech opening.