A long-vacant grocery store in Kenosha’s Uptown neighborhood is set to become a hub for technical education. The former Pick ‘n Save building, which closed its doors in 2017, will soon transform into a school that promises to bring innovative learning opportunities to the area.
The Kenosha Technology Enhanced Curriculum Schools of Innovation (KTEC), an independent STEM-focused charter school serving grades 4K through 12, has purchased the 56,000-square-foot facility for $5 million. This acquisition marks a significant step for KTEC, which currently operates out of a former Catholic school and aims to relocate by the 2026-27 school year.
Ruth Dyson, the local alder, expressed her support for the development, stating, “I’m just glad that something is finally going into the building that is no longer sitting there.” Dyson believes that introducing a “positive business” in the area is beneficial for the district.
Leading the transformation is Angela Andersson, KTEC’s CEO and executive director, who envisions the new campus as a “center of excellence for technical education.” To achieve this, KTEC has collaborated with partners such as Kenosha-based Snap-on Inc., Lincoln Electric, and Gateway Technical College. “We needed a space that would provide the state-of-the-art labs for our students to learn in and be prepared for careers in those technical fields,” Andersson highlighted.
The new location holds sentimental value as it is situated in the same neighborhood where KTEC initially began as part of the Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD). The charter school has been a part of the community for 17 years and currently serves 325 students. The move to the new facility will allow KTEC to expand its capacity to nearly 650 students.
Earlier this year, KTEC unified its 4K-8 program with its high school, marking a new chapter for the institution. Previously, the 4K-8 program was chartered through KUSD, but that partnership ended in January due to fiscal disagreements, leading KUSD to establish its own LakeView K-8 Academy. The high school program, which operated independently, is now part of the combined KTEC Schools of Innovation chartered by the Universities of Wisconsin.
The KUSD has faced its own challenges, having recently closed six schools due to declining enrollment and a financial shortfall of $15 million. Of these, four buildings are slated for demolition.
