Wanting to prepare students for life, for work, Rick Neal invited Donna McKethan, director of Career and Technical Education, Waco, Texas, to Pea Ridge. Neal had learned about McKethan’s project and has begun steps to open a conversion charter school, a Career and Tech School, within the Pea Ridge High School.
“I have a passionate love for public schools and what we’re able to do for kids,” Neal said to business leaders Friday at the Northwest Arkansas Council. “We want you to have the opportunity to build something very special to the northwest Arkansas region. We believe it could help several schools across the state.”
“I’ve heard the same thing over and over again, kids come out of our schools not prepared to do the work they have,” Mike Harvey, chief executive o
• cer of the Council, said.
“This was all spurred from one conversation with Tim Summers,” Neal said. “We want to improve and develop programs for you … today, we’re going to allow you to be a part of that.”
Neal said the vision is to have business leaders tell the need, provide the curriculum and the school to prepare the students during their junior and senior years, for high wage, high demand, high skill jobs. In Waco, McKethan said, the needs was for welding. There are currently 65 students involved in the welding program. McKethan said she sees expanding the program to include precision metals.
“We incorpate studies with business,” McKethan said. “Everything in physics that’s related to business is incorporated… they need kids who are able to think, to take a problem and fi nd a solution, to work in teams.”
Terry Law, owner of Bentonville Plastics, said he does not have a college degree and knows the need for workers properly trained. “Basics are so critical to a business like ours,” he said, adding that he has hired young people who can’t answer basic math questions.
“I see the need of what we have in Pea Ridge,” Neal said. “I’m o
• ering you a service. It’s a win/win situation. Once we build it, I think it’s going to be something other districts are going to want… it’s an opportunity to help a lot of kids.”
Neal explained that Pea Ridge has applied for a charter school license and scheduled a public meeting for Tuesday, Oct. 15, to present the proposal to the public
“We’re selling a dream, it’s di
•cult to sell a dream you can’t see,” McKethan said, explaining that there are different pathways to o
• er in the Career and Tech model, depending on what the business community wants.
“We’re trying to build the ship a little at a time. The application process is due by Oct. 31. We’re looking for pathways we need to choose — what you want us to teach. What do you want? What do you want to see taught? What type of employee do you want to see?” Neal asked business leaders.
“First, this requires a deep involvement of the business community,” McKethan said. “Second is that math and science are taught along with it… those are two things that set us apart from other vo-tech schools in Texas.”
News, Pages 1 on 10/16/2013