CAIRO — The Grady County community celebrated its investment in better education for students Thursday afternoon with a ribbon-cutting ceremony conducted for Cairo High School’s College and Career Center. 

Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle described an “economic engine,” which fuels the local economy, adding the College and Career Center was an investment into the future economy of Cairo. 

“Your future is extremely bright and I am excited to be a part of it,” he said. 

Cagle also is running for governor and his platform for the 2018 election has a focus on college and career academies. 

“My vision is by 2020, every student in Georgia will have access to a college and career academy,” he said. 

State Rep. Darlene Taylor (R-Thomasville) also attended the ceremony. 

“This is something we all will be proud of for years to come,” Taylor said. 

State Sen. Dean Burke (R-Bainbridge) said the Cairo High School College and Career Center, which has a health care sciences program, is “going a long way to fix the health care problem” in Georgia. 

Todd Gainous, College and Career Academy CEO, Grady Schools Superintendent Dr. Kermit Gillard, Southern Regional Technical College President Dr. Craig Wentworth and Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Gretchen Corbin also gave remarks at the ceremony.