As defined in State Bill 161 signed by Governor Nathan Deal on May 11, 2011, a “College and Career Academy” means a specialized charter school established by a partnership which demonstrates a collaboration between business, industry, and community stakeholders to advance workforce development between one of more local boards of education, a private individual, a private organization, or a state or local public entity in cooperation with one or more postsecondary institutions.

College and Career Academies, an initiative of Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, partner local school systems with the state’s technical colleges, other post-secondary institutions, and local businesses, enabling the development of high school and college-level programs that train students for quality, in-demand jobs. Students find that the academies’ challenging, hands-on programs provide greater relevancy and value which not only leads to higher graduation rates but also employment. The specified training for students is attractive to area businesses and communities prosper from the highly-trained and skilled workforce. Businesses have found that College and Career Academies partnerships provide them with a qualified and skilled workforce. Because of Cagle’s initiative, there are now 40 College and Career Academies in Georgia. https://tcsg.edu/gcca/

The mission of Chattahoochee Valley College and Career Academy is to prepare all graduates for the 21st-century workforce through relevant secondary and post-secondary career training. Classroom instructors will be comprised of Chattahoochee County High School CTAE teachers, Columbus Technical College, Columbus State University faculty and business/industry subject matter experts. Recruitment, employment, and evaluation of these instructors will be shared between the Academy CEO, the College Presidents and their staff, the Career Academy Board of Directors, and the Chattahoochee County Board of Education. Chattahoochee Valley College and Career Academy will accept any student who wishes to enroll plus any high school student from a neighboring system and collaborate with neighboring Fort Benning on a number of educational initiatives.

Chattahoochee County Schools received the state grant to build a College and Career Academy in 2016 and the Chattahoochee Valley Academy was born. Groundbreaking on a new wing and the renovation of two existing wings at Chattahoochee County Middle High School began the summer of 2018. The new wing houses heavy metal labs including Welding, Construction, and Automotive Collision Repair. The renovation of two existing wings at the high school will house other college classrooms and labs.

Eight Career Cluster programs of study, as selected by the Board of Directors, include the following:

1. Audio-Video Technology & Film

2. Business

3. Construction

4. Education

5. Government & Public Administration

6. Health Care Sciences

7. Law & Public Safety

8. Transportation

Under each of these broad areas of study, the CVA offers Certificate, Diploma, and Associate Degree programs. The CVA offers a host of college-level courses including English, Math, Science, and History. These college courses are transferable to any college after the student graduates from high school.

The CVA began operating Fall 2017 with a number of certificate and college-level classes being taught for the 2017-18 school year. The current certificate programs include: Certified Customer Service Specialist, Certified Manufacturing Specialist, Criminal Justice Fundamentals, Paralegal Studies, Emergency Medical Responder, and Early Childcare, Specialist. The college-level courses offered include English 1101, 1102 and 2130, College Algebra, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, American History, American Government, and Economics. More college-level classes will be added to the schedule each semester.

The CVA started the 2017-18 school year with approximately 200 students taking college-level coursework through our two Post-Secondary partners Columbus Technical College and Columbus State University. These courses are taken under the Dual Enrollment program through the state of Georgia and there are no fees associated with taking these courses. Any student who qualifies for admission through college placement testing may take all courses tuition-free.

Chattahoochee Valley CCA (Cusseta)

CEO: Tim Buchanan
(706)989-3774
tbuchanan@chattco.org