LEESVILLE – Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards joined native, state and federal officers to rejoice the completion of expertise studying facilities at 5 Vernon Parish colleges that serve hundreds of households stationed at or employed by the U.S. Army’s Fort Johnson.

Funded by a $7.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense and a ten % match from Louisiana Economic Development, the brand new studying facilities will help STEAM (science, expertise, engineering, arts and arithmetic) programming in state-of-the-art indoor and out of doors studying areas. The funding of federal and state {dollars} resulted within the development of latest buildings and set up of enhanced expertise, corresponding to wi-fi communications, digital shows and interactive studying instruments. 

Two excessive colleges, two center colleges, and an elementary faculty – Leesville High, Leesville Junior High, Pickering High, Pickering Elementary and Vernon Middle School – profit.

“This investment is a perfect illustration of the old saying that ‘security begins at home,’” Gov. Edwards stated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Leesville High School. “By equipping schools with new technology, we are improving the quality of life of thousands of Fort Johnson families and strengthening the surrounding community, which does so much to support this critical military installation.” 

The elite Army coaching put up is the biggest non-state-government employer in Louisiana, with almost 15,000 jobs, $770 million in payroll and an annual estimated financial influence of greater than $1.36 billion. Formerly referred to as Fort Polk, the bottom was renamed in June to honor Sgt. William Henry Johnson, a Black soldier who was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions throughout a fierce battle in World War I. 

The award is a part of the Defense Department’s Campus Connections and Learning Spaces initiative, a pilot venture of the 2020 Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP), to facilitate high quality of life enhancements in navy communities. More than 2,000 Fort Johnson navy youngsters attend faculty in Vernon Parish and make up almost 1 / 4 of district enrollment.

“Military installations contribute $9.64 billion in annual economic output and more than 77,000 jobs across all regions of our state,” LED Secretary Don Pierson stated. “We have a genuine stake in these military assets, not just for their defense of America – which is paramount – but for their importance to Louisiana’s economy.”

“We have been searching for ways to serve our students more efficiently and this partnership and joint venture allows that,” Vernon Parish Superintendent of Schools James Williams stated. “Our students in Career and Technical Education will be well trained and career ready upon graduation. We appreciate the tremendous efforts and support from all of our stakeholders and local partners for this opportunity to improve the educational infrastructure for our students.”

In addition to the DCIP match, LED awarded the Vernon Parish School Board $1 million to deal with essential upkeep wants at North Johnson Elementary School, situated on base and a part of the Vernon Parish District.

“I’m excited to see this project get completed,” stated Dist. 30 State Sen. Mike Reese, founder and former chairman of Louisiana Armed Forces Alliance, previously referred to as Fort Polk Progress.  “These education technology centers showcase the continued effort by the local school district, state of Louisiana and the Department of Defense to provide first class educational opportunities to not only our military connected students but to all students in the Fort Johnson region. Providing high quality education is a cornerstone in improving the military value of our defense installations, and this community continues to invest in making Fort Johnson a station of choice.”

About LED

Louisiana Economic Development is liable for strengthening the state’s enterprise atmosphere and making a extra vibrant economic system. It is the one state company within the U.S. accredited by the International Economic Development Council, boasting award-winning programs like LED FastStart, a longtime nationwide chief in personalized workforce improvement. LED additionally helps a variety of upper ed partnerships that Business Facilities journal just lately credited for Louisiana’s rating because the No. 1 Tech Talent Pipeline within the U.S. In 2022, LED attracted 53 new financial improvement initiatives representing 18,137 new direct, oblique and retained jobs and $20.7 billion in new capital funding. Explore how LED cultivates jobs and financial alternative for the individuals of Louisiana and employers of all sizes at OpportunityLouisiana.com.