Section 6-51-302 - Approval of center establishment(a) The State Board of Education shall review recommendations from the Career Education and Workforce Development Board to establish new vocational centers to serve high school students from several school districts in locations where services are needed to:(1) Support economic, industrial, and employment development efforts;(2) Provide equity and substantially equal access to quality vocational programs; and(3) Improve school programs to assist schools in meeting accreditation standards.(b) The State Board of Education shall approve only centers which utilize existing vocational education resources such as facilities, equipment, etc., except in those geographic areas in which comprehensive vocational offerings have not been developed and the State Board of Education determines that those resources must be developed to accomplish the above purposes.(c) If a postsecondary vocational-technical school or two-year college which operates a secondary vocational center merges or consolidates with a public institution of higher education, the secondary vocational center may continue to be administered by the institution of higher education involved in the merger or consolidation.(d) The provisions of this section are contingent on the appropriation of funding necessary to allow the State Board of Education to carry out the duties assigned to the State Board of Education under this section.(e) All existing vocational centers may be reviewed by the State Board of Education at the discretion of the State Board of Education.(f) The Office of Skills Development shall provide annually a report to the State Board of Education on the financial viability of vocational centers, enrollment, programs, and the success of students.Amended by Act 2021, No. 545,§ 18, eff. 7/28/2021.Acts 1985, No. 788, § 1; A.S.A. 1947, § 80-2593; Acts 1999, No. 1323, § 39; 2001, No. 819, § 2.