Centralina WDB E-Newsletter November 2002

The Mooresville Graded School District along with the Iredell-Statesville Schools and Mitchell Community College has been awarded a Tech Prep Grant. The $184,000 grant will be utilized to prepare students to enter the community college ready to be challenged by one of the many technical curriculums. One of the problems of the past has been the lack of publicity about the dual enrollment and Huskins classes that students can take while still in high school. A marketing campaign will be implemented to make the total community aware of the vital resources available at the local community college.

Highlights of the program will include a summer algebra remediation program for students entering the 9th grade. Many of the technical careers require an understanding of advanced math. If the students master algebra as a freshman they will have opportunities to take higher levels of math. This will also reduce the number of students that have to take remedial math when entering the community college.

Mitchell Community College presently offers a number of Huskins classes to the students at Mooresville High School. Students at N.F. Woods Advanced Technology Center have expressed an interest in expanding offering in areas such as cosmetology. As a part of the grant more emphasis will be placed on giving students articulated credits for the technical classes taken in high school. Students at N.F Woods Advanced Technology Center were among the top 10% of schools in the state for their end of the year test scores. Classes offered at the center provide the students with state and national certification. Computer Engineering offers A+ certification; Allied Health Science offers CNA certification; Early Childhood Education offers Childcare credentials; and E commerce offers students opportunities in web design.

To graduate from high school students must choose a course of study. This module will lead the students into their chosen career.Through the Tech Prep Grant more students will be able to achieve their career goal.

Rowan County Department of Social Services Revises Work First Plan

Rowan County DSS has recently revised its Work First Plan, which outlines how the agency, in partnership with other community organizations, will reduce the number of families receiving Work First, moving them from welfare to work. At a recent Work First community forum, several needs of Work First families were identified, including an insufficient number of jobs for low-skilled workers and greater competition for jobs from those who have lost employment through plant closings.

Work First parents are expected to follow a 40-hour plan of action leading them to employment. This plan may include "work experience" jobs, where they practice basic job expectations, such as timeliness, dependability, and getting along with others, in exchange for their Work First check. DSS staff members coach Work First parents in handling job interviews, making arrangements for childcare, and accessing transportation resources.

Work First families are shown that work is much more beneficial than receiving a monthly Work First check! For example, a family composed of a single parent and two children under six years of age may receive a Work First check in the amount of $272 per month and food stamps valued at $314 per month, for a total annual income of $7,032. That same family, with the single parent earning minimum wage, would net $637 in earnings, would receive $183 in food stamps each month, and would be eligible for an earned income tax credit of $4006 per year. Annual net income would be $13,855. Day care subsidy, Medicaid, and transportation services may also be available to support the newly-employed Work First parent.

The majority of Work First applicants do not receive child support from the absent parent. DSS has recently put into place a plan where these applicants will see a child support agent quickly to have paternity established, if needed, and to develop a child support court order. That activity alone will help reduce the number of children being supported totally by Work First.

North Carolina's Work First Program is built upon the premise that all people have a responsibility to their families and community to work and provide for their children. For more information about the Work First Program please visit the Rowan County website at www.co.rowan.nc.us.

Mooresville Graded School District and JobLink Partners Awarded Tech Prep Grant