Boone County approves local match for grant to bring technical school to Ashland

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Boone County Commission on Thursday approved a $100,000 local match for a grant that would help bring a technical college campus to Ashland.

St. Louis-based Ranken Technical College is collaborating with the city of Ashland, economic development officials and the Southern Boone School District to create a campus in southern Ashland.

The college is seeking a $7 million federal grant that would help build the Ashland campus, Ranken CEO Stan Shoun said. County documents say the campus would be located off an extension of Perry Avenue.

Shoun said the college looks for local school districts with the right vision when starting these projects, citing Ashland Superintendent Chris Felmlee's understanding of the importance of technical post-secondary education.

Most high school graduates will not go on to attend a university, Shoun said, despite many schools' emphasis on getting students into such institutions.

The partnership will establish co-curriculum programs that will allow Southern Boone students to get an associate's degree one year after graduating high school and a bachelor's degree two years after high school, Shoun said.