BY PAT FARNELLI
Times-Shamrock Correspondent

A ReEngaging Grant for adult learners was received by the Susquehanna County Career and Technology Center, it was announced at a school board meeting Wednesday.

The grant of $35,000 is the fourth one received by SCCTC to cover the consultant salaries and the program itself. SCCTC Director Alice Davis, who also serves as guidance and placement director, said that the program “used to be called the drop-out program,” but is now known as “ReEngaging the Adult Learner.”

She said, “It’s a 70-day program, but the students don’t leave until they are gainfully employed.”

Many services are provided to help persons who did not complete high school acquire marketable skills and also learn to manage their time and resources for success.

She said that in the past, cars have been repaired and other help given so that adults can benefit more from the program and find a good job. The grant was provided by the Susquehanna County Economic Development program. This is the third year that the SCCTC has received this grant.

Consultant contracts were approved for James Gregory and Donna Swartz, who perform services such as grant writing and scheduling.

School Board President Anne Teel said that she recently attended the national School Board Association conference in Nashville, Tenn.

She said that featured speakers included Jane Pauley, who spoke on reinventing one’s self to use talents for the good of others; David Pogue, tech maven for Yahoo and blogger of “The Pogue Review;” and television star Montel Williams, who Teel said claims to be a product of public education. Williams is especially grateful to two teachers who took an interest in him, she said.

Teel noted that Pogue’s presentation was very informative on the many uses of smartphones and other devices for education purposes.

The board approved a request for permission to bid for a 72-passenger school bus and a used five-passenger car with 25,000 or fewer miles. The school is trading in an older bus and a school car with 135,000 miles.

The board approved a webhosting agreement for the SharpSchool Service program, which was the school’s official website provider two years ago. This will enable SCCTC to develop its own website and make it meet the needs of the career center, independently of the Elk Lake website.

The career center will be switching its student information software programs back to the Rediker Student Information Software company, and the cost of this program for one year only was $4,350.

Two or three more positions have been posted for the Licensed Practical Nursing program, as one of the nurses had previously submitted a resignation request.
The new LPN class of 19 students started Sept. 17.

The March bill for the fourth student-built house fund was for $12,027.14.

The house, located on Hunsinger Road in Dimock Township, will be 2100 square feet with three bedrooms and two and a half baths, with a stone and vinyl exterior and a two-car garage. The house will be finished during the 2016-17 school year.

SCCTC’s monthly bills and treasurer’s report are available on the school website under BoardDocs.

At the start of the meeting, a video was viewed showing the Culinary Arts program under the direction of David Dunster and Jill Weidmeyer. Student Justine Wadlington that was featured in a cooking program.

A National Honor Society induction for technical school students will be held on April 21, and the SCCTC’s honors banquet will be held on May 12.

The SCCTC graduation will be held in the elementary gym because of the large number of graduates this year, Davis said.