Number of students attending ACE limited

BEAUFORT -- The Beaufort County school board voted 8-2 Friday to stop sending students to four of the 17 programs offered at the Beaufort-Jasper Academy for Career Excellence.

Board members said the four programs -- graphic arts, information technologies, health professions and a national math and science program called Project Lead The Way -- duplicate the district's efforts because they also are offered at Beaufort County high schools.

Members said at their annual fall retreat that they don't want to send extra money to the vocational school if they can give students the same training in schools. Students already enrolled this year in one of the four programs would remain at the academy, but new students would not be admitted to those programs next year.

ACE is jointly owned by the Beaufort and Jasper school boards. The 30-year-old building has been in need of repairs for years, and the academy's joint board agreed last month to recommend that the two school districts finance $5.9 million in renovations and pay another $3 million for a 12,000-square-foot addition.

The Beaufort County school board plans to vote on the plan in December if the joint board gives it final approval next week.

The joint ownership agreement requires Jasper and Beaufort counties to split evenly the cost of capital improvements but requires Beaufort County to pay two-thirds of operating costs because more of its students are enrolled.

In recent years, however, Beaufort County has paid more than 80 percent of operating costs, according to a study by the county's school district.

Pulling students out of some of ACE's programs will help Beaufort County save money in two ways, board members said Friday.

First, the district will pay for fewer students to attend the academy.The district put about $3.5 million toward ACE this school year.

Second, the addition might not be necessary if programs are eliminated.

Board members Jim Bequette and George Wilson voted against the motion.

Board member Herbert Burnes was absent.