(WORT)–For nearly two years, Jack E. Daniels, president of Madison Area Technical College, has been working to drum up support for a comprehensive new campus in South Madison. Daniels says expanding MATC’s presence in one of the most underserved areas of the city will help the two-year-college fulfill its mission.
But the Southside expansion proposal has its share of critics, primarily because it is paired with a recommendation to lease MATC’s downtown DTEC building near the Capitol. While Daniels argues that the aging downtown facility will need major renovations and is larger than student enrollment requires, others have expressed concern that moving classes out of the downtown building would negatively impact accessibility.
The MATC District Board will vote on the two recommendations May 4th.
A previous proposal that would have financed the Southside expansion by selling the downtown building failed last year after the District Board deadlocked in a 4-4 vote. A recently vacated seat had not yet been filled at the time of that vote.
