Newburgh school district nears completion of $80 million career center

A Newburgh teenager could leave high school with welding skills, a cosmetology credential or a path into health care when the school district opens its new career center off West Street next school year. The $80 million investment is designed to give students, adults and local employers a single place for training that feeds straight into jobs now needed in Orange County.

The Newburgh Enlarged City School District gave a Friday tour of the building while crews finished the last phase of work. District leaders said the center is still on track for a September 2026 opening and is intended to serve not only Newburgh Free Academy students, but community members as well.

Built on an adjoining hill above the main Newburgh Free Academy campus, the center will stand apart as a visible hub for career and technical education rather than a classroom wing tucked into the existing school. District officials have said the facility is meant to bring many CTE programs together under one roof, with no limit on seats, a key detail for families who have seen specialty programs fill quickly.

The program mix is broad and pointed at sectors that local employers still struggle to staff. Planned offerings include auto body and automotive technology, welding, construction, health sciences, culinary arts, fashion design, criminal justice, barbering, cosmetology, photography, video production and veterinary technician training. District materials also point to newer or expanded focus areas in HVAC, plumbing, electrical and veterinary technology, putting the building squarely in the pipeline for trades and licensed careers.

Superintendent Dr. Jackielyn Manning Campbell has framed the center as a community asset as much as a school project, with certified programs for adults among the goals. That matters in Newburgh, where families often weigh whether college is the right first step and where employers need workers who can enter the labor market with recognized credentials.

The idea was set in motion after voters approved a district capital bond proposal in 2019. Groundbreaking came on Oct. 23, 2024, and earlier plans described the building as roughly 132,000 to 138,000 square feet, with more than 20 career and technical programs under one roof. District updates later said the project was under budget, a rare point of relief on a project this large.

For Orange County, the payoff goes beyond a new building. If the center opens as planned, Newburgh will have a local training base for the trades, health care support, public safety and creative production, all tied to one of the county’s largest school systems and positioned to strengthen the workforce around it.