Adult Education Program Deserves Kudos

There are a few facts regarding the adult education program that shed a different light on the previous reporting that informed readers need to know.

First – the new director of the program was only appointed at the end of July for the year involved in the audit.  The Master Calendar for the program had already been prepared by the previous director, on one hand this is no excuse, but given the fact that this was not the only program under said director’s assignment, a reasonable person is able to understand.  The Department of Education (DOE) adult education comprehensive course codes contain four (4) different course codes, this in and of itself are enough to digest, coupled with six additional programs unrelated to adult education, but important to student achievement are under the direction of this one individual.  Couple that with the fact there are seven different locations to which this individual must travel to oversee the course work being undertaken by the students involved, add to that course changes in the additional programs, state requirement updates that must be addressed, one might easily say – “Wait a minute, let’s see what has been corrected since the audit findings (which by the way are for the 2012-2013 school year) were realized.”

Second, and even more important, in my opinion, is the fact that the school board member who has been, and continues to be, so critical has not ever visited the adult education program sites, none of them.  Nor has said school board member asked the director of the program any questions, like I did, to ascertain the real truth behind the audit findings.  One does not have to take the word of just the director, there are state education personnel who will readily verify the “facts.”

Under Mr. Porter’s administration the outdated “TERMS” (2000) program, whereby all information is input and from which various reports are generated, has been scheduled for change, now whether the District will choose to go with TERMS 2009 – which the company is finally willing to share with the District at no charge, because they want the District to continue to utilize TERMS, or whether the District will go with FOCUS, a new program that is being encouraged for use by the State DOE, even so far as stating they will underwrite a significant portion of the cost to implement, is still to be decided, but the fact that the important issue of the outdated program is actually on the table for review is a significant move forward.

Those who work within the TERMS program will tell you that it is not a “user friendly” system, in these days and times when programs that are easily learned are available one can only hope that the District will see the wisdom in changing the program.  That remains to be seen.

I could go on, but I hope that by shedding some light on just a small portion of the issues that a very talented individual must comprehend and implement, oh, and by the way, this person is responsible for the alternative education programs for both boys and girls, and of course their issues most often take precedent over all other – especially when a potential student’s life is at stake.

Personally I applaud the efforts of the adult education program, as well as the alternative education programs.  The individual success rates of those who have undertaken these courses is one that we should all applaud as they are some of the most challenging of our district.

Sincerely,

Sandy Higgs