North Pike officials are trying to prove their students are ready to join the workforce and help the county economy.
At Thursday’s board meeting, district trustees discussed how they could get students the opportunity to take the ACT WorkKeys test.
Adults can take the test for free. High school students must pay $25, or have it paid for them.
“We’re going to need to seek funding elsewhere,” Superintendent Dennis Penton told the board.
Board President Etta Taplin suggested meeting with industry representatives to see if some of the county’s businesses would sponsor students’ testing fees.
The test is an integral part of the Work Ready Community initiative, which is being promoted by county economic development organizations and Southwest Mississippi Community College.
The Work Ready Community designation is supposed to indicate that the included area offers an educated and skilled workforce, and serves as an enticement for industrial recruitment.
“People always say how kids leave here after they graduate, but what do we have to offer them?” Taplin asked. “This is a way to bridge the gap and connect the dots between economic development and education.”
In other business, the board approved an application for teacher Angela Ellison to take part in the state’s Principals Corps.
Ellison will be on sabbatical from the district for a year while she works mostly in other districts, getting different perspectives on leadership and job practices.
The district must guarantee Ellison a position once she completes the program.
The district may also hire someone to fill Ellison’s current position while she on sabbatical, and may terminate that person after the year is over, though Penton said that person could likely be retained in some capacity due to the district’s normal turnover.
