West-MEC, Peoria strike deal for a new campus

PHOENIX — The city of Peoria and Western Maricopa Education Center struck a deal to lease city-owned property to build a new campus building.

West-MEC is a public school district dedicated to technical trade careers targeting high school students and young adults. The new campus would be located on 95th and Peoria Avenues and the agreement also leaves room for West-MEC to buy the land at market value from the city, according to a city of Peoria press release.

How will a Western Maricopa Education campus in the city of Peoria serve students?

The district’s mission is to prepare students for high-demand fields by providing “hands-on training, college credit opportunities and industry-recognized credentials,” according to the release.  West-MEC has about 45,000 students enrolled from 49 high schools with five campuses located in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

During a Feb. 11 meeting, Peoria City Council approved the lease and on the following day, Feb. 12 the West-MEC Governing Board voted in favor of the agreement.

“West-MEC in Peoria is crucial to our economic development strategy of attracting new businesses, as companies prioritize a skilled local workforce when deciding where they want to locate,” Mayor Jason Beck said in the release.

The curriculum for the new school still needs to be decided, but Peoria leaders said they would like to see training in fields such as semiconductor cleanroom, welding, medical, electrical, water and wastewater management.

West-MEC invested in a $13.5 million expansion of its northeast campus in Phoenix in 2024. Some of the training programs offered at the campus are in air conditioning, pharmacy and veterinary science, welding and collision repair.

“As demand for skilled trades surges in the west valley, West-MEC is expanding opportunities to equip the next generation with the hands-on training and expertise they need to thrive,” West-MEC’s superintendent Scott Spurgeon said in the release.

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