CALUMET CITY — When incoming Superintendent Sophia Jones-Redmond learned District 215 was planning to start an outsourced barber and cosmetology program, she had one question.

It was: "Have we signed a contract?"

"I said, ‘Good, we’re not, because the program was going to be limited to around 10 to 12 students and it was an exorbitant amount of money," Jones-Redmond said Thursday. "I figured long term, if we wanted to have something sustainable we needed to do it ourselves."

That’s exactly what District 215 is doing. An in-house barbering and cosmetology program will launch this fall in a space that was occupied by TF North High School’s auto shop before it was moved to the Thornton Fractional Center for Academics and Technology.

A groundbreaking ceremony to kick off the space’s transformation was held Thursday, attended by District 215 board members and administrators.

Jones-Redmond has seen firsthand the possibilities of a barbering and cosmetology program for high school students. She helped launch one at the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice facilities in Chicago and west suburban Warrenville.

On a broader level, she is a strong supporter of vocational education as well as college prep programs.