As previously announced this week, the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) has indeed tabbed Danville District 118 to be the Adult Education provider in this community college district after the loss of funding at DACC. The district includes parts of Vermilion, Edgar, Iroquois, Champaign and Ford counties.
The ICCB grant of $316,000 has already been awarded to District 118, with a follow-up grant of anywhere between $75,000 and $375,000 still possible. District 118 Superintendent John Hart says they will start in the Jackson Building downstairs area, probably with Noon and 3:30 Tuesday and Thursday classes, for GED prep. Jobs for instructors are being posted this week. And as Hart reemphasized to CIMG, with that possible second grant being a factor, other phases of Adult Education will be coming at some time.
AUDIO: And we will be working into some certificate programs. We’ve made a few contacts, and so far so good. I think there’s a possibility that we’ll have two people on board as soon as the end of the month. So, a lot of momentum, a lot of excitement, in the district; and it’s coming quickly.
Hart mentioned that District 118 has a two hour meeting scheduled with the ICCB next week, for further discussion on the district’s new Adult Education program.
(1st Picture) 118 Athletic Director Mark Bacys tells the 118 Board about the district’s updated extra curricular handbook. (2nd Picture) District Director of School Improvement Chris Rice, 4th from right, spoke with CIMG about the “Rural and Low Income” grant awarded by the Illinois State School Board. (3rd Picture) District Director of Finance Todd Pence gives general update to 118 Board.
It was also announced during the Open Session portion of Wednesday (Oct 7) evening’s Danville District 118 meeting that thanks to the efforts of District Director of School Improvement Chris Rice, District 118 will be receiving a $177,000 “Rural and Low Income” grant from the Illinois State Board of Education. This will help in areas such as professional development, tutoring, fine arts, Advanced Placement programs at the high school; a lot of all that having been recently cut by the district. In fact, Rice says a big thing this grant will help the district reinstate is bus transportation home for students participating in the Project Success program after school, sometimes until 5:30 or 6.
AUDIO: Project Success will provide students with some tutoring, supports in the classroom; just to help them with some academic challenges at the end of their school day.
Rice says up until this point, the district has only been able to provide bus transportation home for high school Project Success students. But now, with Project Success beginning this month at younger schools within the district, transportation home for some of those younger students should be ready to go, right after next week’s Fall Break.
