Campaign for Excellence receives combined $600,000 contribution

Roanoke County Public Schools is proud to announce that Altec and Varney have made independent contributions totaling more than half a million dollars to the Roanoke County Public Schools Campaign for Excellence.

Altec is contributing $350,000 and Varney is contributing $250,000.  Both contributions will be made over the next five years.

“Helping our students get to their future careers as efficiently as possible is important work and the Campaign for Excellence is one way the schools are collaborating with business and industry to make it happen,” said Jason Suhr, director of Career and Technical Education (CTE) for Roanoke County Public Schools.

“The new Roanoke County Career and Technology Center will provide industry-level instruction in the skilled trades that aligns with the workforce required by many regional businesses, some of whom have already contributed to the Campaign.  We are proud that Varney and Altec have committed to partnering with us,” Suhr added.

The Campaign for Excellence is a capital campaign to provide additional opportunities for students such as scholarships for RCCTC graduates pursuing careers that will help fill the current workforce shortage in many high-demand industries, including heath care, HVAC, skilled trades and more.  The campaign also will provide funding to update, enhance and expand programs as industry standards evolve.

Construction of the $80 million dollar center began in September 2024.  Once completed in January 2027, RCCTC will provide more than 125,000 square feet of state-of-the-art instructional space.  The new CTE center will replace the current Burton Center for Arts & Technology (BCAT) located in Salem. 

BCAT is home to a Governor’s STEM Academy and award-winning programs in many industries including engineering, motorsports/welding, mass communication/graphic design, culinary arts, building trades, mechatronics/robotics, health sciences, cybersecurity, and more. Students from all five Roanoke County high schools learn marketable skills for post-graduation employment and further education in multiple fields. 

“We are so thankful for the support from our community, including great companies like Altec and Varney,” said Dr. Jamie Soltis, superintendent of Roanoke County Public Schools.  “CTE instruction is a critical component of how we teach our students key skills.  We need to be proactive to ensure that, as our instruction evolves, we have industry-level equipment and tools, so our graduates will be Opportunity Ready – properly prepared to enter the workforce after graduation,” Soltis said.