The Automotive Institute of Science and Technology (a new charter school), which the El Paso County Colorado District 49 Board of Education approved in December, is set to open in the fall of 2020, said Andy Franko, iConnect zone leader for D 49.ìThe school (focused on automotive careers) will open with about 250 seats in ninth and 10th grade that first year,î Franko said. ìIt will expand out each year after that to full enrollment in year five at around 600 students.îThe AIST has partnered with Pikes Peak Community College, per the contract requirements, but also with Advanced Auto Parts and other companies in the automotive industry, he said. Those partnerships allow the AIST to have financial resources that are not available to other schools and could result in the replication of this type of school in other places, Franko said.The schoolís educational model will incorporate the mechanical side of automotive technology as well as technology engineering and a pathway through the business side of the industry, including distribution, parts and labor, and more, Franko said. Because the school will follow the Power Technical Early College model, students can attend from ninth through 12th grade, with the option to stay on for up to two more years through concurrent enrollment, he said. Those two extra years allow students the opportunity to graduate from high school with both their diploma and an associate degree in science, he said.ìI think our board is in favor of the idea that more pathways for students that include options that do not always lead to a four-year college are necessary,î he said. ìThese kids can walk out with a skill, be employable and walk out without a debt situation they cannot overcome. With this industry in particular, an associate degree might offer beyond entry-level status.îThe AIST plans to build a facility about 60,000 square feet within the boundaries of D 49, although the exact location has not been determined, Franco said. The district is working with the AIST on the pre-opening conditions, including the facility plan, and will require the school to provide enrollment data that shows they have enough students to support their budget; just as any other charter school would, Franko said.While other organizations have created automotive mechanic education pathways, the AIST model is different because it will be project-based learning in both the engineering and business side of the industry, he said.ìThis is the stateís first and probably the nationís first charter school of its kind, which makes that interesting,î Franko said. ìThere is more than one pathway into the industry, and this industry is crying for employees in those pathways.î
