From his experiences as a high school principal, Rick Neal saw the need for students to be better prepared to immediately the work force. He wants to provide Pea Ridge students with skills making them valuable to the work world in northwest Arkansas.
Neal, in his second year as Pea Ridge School superintendent, is seeking to start a Conversion Charter School — a school within a school concept.
“This really has spun out from my frustration with career and technical education. A lot of our kids, from my experience of being a principal, are not skill ready for the job market.”
Many Pea Ridge students travel to Northwest Technical Institute in Springdale, creating logistical transportation problems.
“I want to create our own career and tech academy in Pea Ridge … on the basis of providing for our students to come out of school and immediately be placed in the work force … with certifi cation.
“We want them to be prepared — high wage, high skills, high demand,” Neal said.
Saying he has the support of the Walton Foundation and the Arkansas Public School Reform, Neal has scheduled a meeting on Oct. 11 with the Northwest Arkansas Economic Council “bringing business leaders within the region … to open dialogue for what jobs they would like to see our academy teach. They’re going to have input.”
Neal said he is modeling the school after one in Waco, Texas.
“When these kids take these courses their junior and senior year, it will give them three paths — they’ll immediately get a job, have an associate degree and be within range for a college degree,” Neal said.
“By the time they reach their senior year, they will have the skills to get a $15 to $20 an hour job in the region and, if they want, go on to college without a huge student debt load.”
“We will provide the place and the teachers. The businesses will provide the curriculum.”
Teaching management skills is one aspect Neal says is essential. “That is a behavior you can train, even with young students.”
“In my opinion, we have programs that are meting the needs of a kid who is going on to a four-year program, but we don’t have the depth that career and tech can provide for students who don’t want to attend a four-year institution. They want to get a job, they want to get on with their life. That’s okay. Let’s give it to them. This targets all three.”
With AIMS (Arkansas Advanced Initiative for Math and Science) and advanced placement classes, we’ve created a backboard of critical rigor and have students doing well in college, Neal said.
Neal said the state provides funding for charter schools.
“We are not interested in competing; we want to create something unique,” he said. “We want to provide something so that when our kids walk out of Pea Ridge High School on May 17 they can said: ‘I’ve got a job.’”
A public meeting is set for 6 p.m. Oct. 15 in the cafeteria at Pea Ridge High School.
“I want to see the interest from the parents and the community about future jobs for their kids.
I want to see the excitement about an opportunity to get jobs for their children — high wage, high skilled, high demand, not minimum wage, minimum demand.”
“We’ll be the first one in the state,” Neal said.
News, Pages 1 on 10/02/2013