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Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)— eNews Park Forest has frequently reported on the proposal to build the Southland Career and Technical Education Center (SCTEC) on the footprint of the former Rich East High School in Park Forest. This facility would serve Rich Township students and students from surrounding townships. In addition, it would enable them to train for careers in construction, manufacturing, aviation, public safety, urban agriculture, information technology, and logistics.
Initial discussions about the need for such a facility began in 2019 and generated high community interest. However, progress toward reality has been so slow that many in the community question whether the facility will ever be built.
To learn the latest project developments, eNews Park Forest interviewed Dr. Johnnie Thomas, Superintendent of Rich Township 227. Dr. Thomas is also the public spokesman for the effort.
The Superintendent’s Perspective
Dr. Thomas provided assurances that the SCTEC plans remain active. In fact, Dr. Thomas noted that in the past few weeks, the district submitted an application to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) for the SCTEC consortium of schools to become an Area Career Center. This would allow the districts involved to provide regional programming across schools. As a result, course and program selection for all students would expand. He expects to receive a response to the request by the end of February.
In explaining the delay in submitting the application, Thomas stated that “for every career cluster (area of study), we had to do a forum with experts in those clusters on what the curriculum should look like, how it should be developed, what the design needs to be, so that we could put those details into our submission to the state.”
He also noted that, with the submission of the application, the consortium will be “reaching out to the Governor’s office to see what support we can get for the actual building of the facility itself.”
Actual Construction Up to Two Years
Thomas stated that once the district receives approval and secures funding sources, the design phase of the project would take about a year. Moreover, actual construction “is going to take a year and a half to two years.”
Assuming approvals and funding come through in 2026, the facility would open, at the earliest, in 2029. Thomas agreed that 2029 was realistic “if everything goes perfectly.”
The consortium of involved districts includes Rich Township District 227, Bloom Township District 206, Homewood-Flossmoor District 233, Southland College Prep Charter High School District 162, Speed SEJA District 802, and Prairie State College. These districts have all signed onto an intergovernmental agreement in support of the new facility. Nevertheless, Crete-Monee District 201-U and Thornton Township District 205 were previously part of the consortium but are not currently members.
Shared Programs in Advance of the SCTEC?
In previous public forums, including a Lunch & Learn held in October of 2024 and a Summit held in April of 2025, Thomas mentioned the possibility of the districts sharing programs before the new facility opens. Assuming the ISBE approves the Area Career Center application, Thomas said officials could introduce the shared program concept as early as this Fall. Furthermore, the technical education directors at each school are beginning to discuss which programs are appropriate.
When asked about the lack of new information on the project over the past few months, Dr. Thomas stated that they had wanted to complete the application and approval phases with ISBE before they shared an update. He also added, “Once we get the approval, I will work with decision makers to set up community discussions so that they can be informed about where we are.
As Always, Funding Remains an Obstacle
The original cost of the facility, including demolition of the existing Rich East building, was about $100M. Thomas did not have an updated estimate. However, he stated, “We are going to strive for that, but be flexible enough to adjust to the realities of the work.”
The districts involved would cover the Center’s ongoing costs. However, funding for the facility’s construction would be through federal, state, and private sources. A $1.74M grant secured by Rep. Robin Kelly enabled the creation of preliminary design plans. Nevertheless, Thomas acknowledged that securing additional funding will be challenging, but he remains optimistic.
“We continue to work with our local and federal partners to submit grants to help with the capital build piece. Some grants have been released, some have not. As soon as those grants become available, we are actively trying to apply for and secure those funds. There just are not a lot of capital grants out there right now.”
Thomas noted that they received letters of support from local officials. These include Senator Tom Joyce, Representative Tony DeLuca, and Representative Debbie Meyers-Martin, sent to the Appropriations Committees in Springfield. The letters requested funds for the SCTEC. “This is one of the criteria that the Governor had for us.”
Does the New STEM Center in Olympia Fields Conflict with the SCTEC Goals?
Rich Township recently announced a new $16M addition to its STEM center in Olympia Fields. The addition aims to help prepare students for careers in horticulture, construction, aviation, and automotive technology.
What about potential duplication of effort between that expansion and the areas of study at the SCTEC? Here, Thomas said he has an obligation to ensure that students in his district have the appropriate educational environment in which to work. He believes the courses available at SCTEC would allow advanced study. In turn, this would let students take their learning “to the next level.”
A Final Word About the SCTEC’s Future
The bottom line, according to Thomas, is that the Center’s plans remain unchanged. This, despite there being little news about the venture lately. Moreover, it is still an active project for the districts involved in the consortium.
“I am always going to be the optimist. I always think big for our families and our kids. We think that this is something that would be huge for the region, and we’ll continue to push forward until somebody tells me to go sit down.”
