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| 08-30-03: Tri Star loses funds due
to state shortfall |
By TIMOTHY COX
tcox@dailystandard.com
A number of grants that help fund the Tri Star Career Compact
are lower this school year because of state budget problems, advisory
council members learned this week.
The career development grant helping to pay for a number of activities
mandated by the state was hardest hit hardest by funding cuts.
Tri Star will get only $19,067 for career development activities
this year, down from $31,145 last year. Two years ago, the funding
topped $55,000.
All school districts in the state are required to have a career
development curriculum. Tri Star, with its 18 vocational and professional
programs, has traditionally done its own career development programs
in addition to whatever the school districts provide.
Activities in the program include career surveys, interviews with
high school seniors about their job futures, career interest and
aptitude tests, career days and other programs. Career development
is the only Tri Star program that serves students in all grades,
kindergarten through high school, Director Tim Buschur said.
The state funding helps pay the salary of Marcia Helentjaris,
Tri Star’s career development specialist.
“Her
position helps all nine schools. At least it didn’t get
cut completely,” Buschur said.
Other available grant money will be tapped to make up the shortfall
in the career development grant, Buschur said. Officials are hoping
state career development money will be fully restored when the
state is on better financial footing, Buschur said.
A federal Perkins grant, Tri Star’s largest source of outside
income, is reduced slightly for this year too. The career compact
will get $142,276, down from $142,823 a year ago.
An annual state grant to help improve technology or perform training
also is reduced. After getting $13,250 last year, Tri Star is
in line to get only $10,000 this year, Buschur said.
In other business during the Tri Star Advisory Council meeting,
council members:
• Agreed to buy a 20-foot trailer to
use as an office/storage area during the Tri Star construction
class’ annual project to build a house. The cost is $4,037
for the trailer from Midway Trailer, St. Marys.
• Learned
officials are pursuing national certification for the machine
trades program.
• Learned that enrollment for this year
is about 500 students among the nine school districts. |
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