Iola High School students will get a little more help with planning their futures through a new counseling position whose purpose is to advise students on career possibilities, USD 257 board of education members learned Monday night.
The position is also geared to increase graduation rates by helping guide students to a future career path, whether thats college or a technical training program or straight into the job market.
The current high school counselors various responsibilities make it difficult to focus on things such as career counseling, meeting with parents, developing internships and setting up college visits.
The new position also could work with the Rural Regional Tech Center at LaHarpe to develop new programs with community colleges and other school districts, and work on grant opportunities. A primary focus would be to serve as a liaison with local businesses to grow internship positions for high school students.
How do we grow these things? And to make them work, we need an individual to get out the door and visit places, said Stacey Fager, superintendent of schools.
Board member Jen Taylor said she learned about a similar program at the Altamont district. As a liaison position, it also improved relationships between the school and community, Taylor reported.
Opportunities for kids exploded, Taylor said. This person can go out and talk to businesses and advocate for the kids for internships and opportunities. Students need to know a direction for their future before they graduate, and an internship is a huge advantage.
The position would be based at the high school with a salary consistent with a counseling position. Recent staff reductions through attrition make its funding possible.
IN OTHER news, the board:
Hired Aaron Cole as director of operations to replace longtime director Scott Stanley, who left to pursue a career opportunity in Missouri. Cole previously worked at TLC Greenhouse.
Heard a presentation from Angie Murphy, director of the Allen County 911 Communication Center, about the school safety committee. She talked about some of the groups accomplishments and goals, which could include a special type of safety lock to protect against an intruder. She praised the Iola districts mapping program, which she has used as a model for other districts.
Gave approval to apply for two grants, one for a reading intervention program and one for a preschool pilot program that would introduce USD 257 curriculum to community preschools. The goal is to prepare incoming kindergarteners with the same set of standards and expectations as USD 257s preschool program.
