The automotive and welding classrooms at Lincoln High and Northeast are getting a $1.1 million face-lift.
Some of the old automotive equipment and manufacturing machines — some dating to World War II — will be out, as will some walls. The welding areas will be updated and the new areas will serve as the district’s hub for automotive classes.
“It’s going to create a lot more opportunities inside the automotive program and bring it up to par with (other) facilities,†said Lincoln Northeast Principal Kurt Glathar. “It’s not moving to (The Career Academy) but we’re trying to mirror the rigor and depth of what they’re doing over there.â€
The Career Academy, on the Southeast Community College campus near 84th and O streets, offers advanced and dual-credit courses in various career fields, as well as internships and apprenticeships.
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Cindy Baum, LPS curriculum specialist in career and technical education, said district officials want to bring the academy philosophy to the automotive courses at the two schools, including internships or workplace experiences. Students from other schools can take those classes and they may explore block classes to accommodate such students.
Early on in the planning stages of The Career Academy, LPS officials decided to leave the automotive programs at Lincoln High and Northeast. They also wanted to make sure all high schools had introductory courses that would expose students to various fields such as robotics, engineering and welding.
When district officials were promoting the academy, they said it would free up space at existing high schools by moving programs to The Career Academy and by taking kids from their home high schools to the academy for the half-day program.
Operations Director Scott Wieskamp said early on the district earmarked money for renovating those spaces at all the high schools, but as the bond issue drew closer they decided to focus on “critical areas†such as the automotive programs.
Still, renovating the shop areas wasn’t one of the projects funded with the $153 million bond issue passed by voters in 2014. Two years later, district officials announced they had $14.5 million remaining after completing all the bond projects. Some of that money was earmarked to renovate the Northeast and Lincoln High shop areas.
Both automotive programs will get new lifts used to raise vehicles so mechanics can work, Baum said. Northeast will double the number of its existing lifts to four by knocking out a wall and redesigning the area used for small-engine classes. Lincoln High will get five new lifts, two more than it has.
The renovation will include adding more-modern tools, new tire-balancing equipment and computerized diagnostic software, Baum said.
The project also will renovate welding areas at both schools with up-to-date ceiling clearances and more space.
At Lincoln High, a longtime machines classroom will be re-purposed as classroom space and the machines class will now share space with a redesigned welding area. Some of the tools will be moved, but not all of them.
Glathar said some of the outdated equipment at Northeast will be sold at auction.
All the high schools offer some welding experience, but Lincoln High and Northeast have the most robust programs, and Lincoln High students can earn dual-credit courses with Southeast Community College.
Even with The Career Academy, each high school maintains strengths in certain career and technical areas, which all feed into the academy, Baum said. Some, like the welding program at Lincoln High, allow kids to stay in their home high schools if they want.
No automotive courses were offered at either high school this semester in anticipation of the renovations, which will start this spring, Wieskamp said. The Lincoln Board of Education approved the $1.125 million bid of Genesis Contracting Group for the renovations last month.
He said the areas should be completed by the start of school next fall.