On Tuesday, Sept. 8, the school system will submit a grant request to the Technical College System for $3.1 million in grant funds needed to create a new Career Academy at Newton High School.

If approved, this academy will be put into place next year and will help the qualifying students to learn skills exceeding the majority of U.S. Department of Education performance indicators; it also will increase the number of students receiving post-secondary credits in our county as well as ensure that students become workplace ready.

The effort to bring the academy to our county has been a joint effort by county and city officials, DeKalb Technical College officials, the Covington-Newton County Chamber of Commerce, The Newton County School System and many interested and caring citizens.

We applaud all of their efforts.

The Career Academy in neighboring Rockdale County has become a source of community pride and hope for a future molded by the best educated children.

It is appropriate the academy will be based at the flagship of our county schools. Newton High is the alma mater of many of our past and present community leaders.

We look forward with great anticipation to the opening of our new Newton County Career Academy.