Mers Goodwill recently announced it will open an adult high school in Poplar Bluff, with classes beginning in January 2019. The Goodwill Excel Center will aim to help adults 21 and over complete a regular high school degree, and in some cases certified career training, at no cost to students.
"They will be able to 'hit the reset button,' and start building a new career path with a regular high school diploma," said David Kutchback, president and CEO of Mers Goodwill.
Gov. Eric Greitens signed a bill last year which gave Mers Goodwill the opportunity to establish four excel centers across the state in St. Louis, Boone, Butler and Greene counties. He said the organization plans to open the first location in St. Louis by October, with the second following in Poplar Bluff. The third and fourth centers will be located in Columbia, Mo., and Springfield, Mo.
"Individuals that would like to obtain a GED are to be congratulated on their hard work and dedication to improve their lives," Kutchback said. "Our schools are going to allow a person to graduate with a high school diploma, not a GED."
Though Mers Goodwill is not traditionally thought of as an educational institution, it is certified by the Missouri Department of Higher Education to provide training in the following fields: PC technician A+ and Network+ certification, building maintenance, office computer and administrative skills and culinary arts.
According to Kutchback, Poplar Bluff's excel center will employ about 23 people, including the director, teachers, life coaches, drop-in center and support staff. The teachers will be certified in the state of Missouri.
"We believe we need to hire good, strong, teachers in order to provide a quality education," Kutchback said. "We will be recruiting a superintendent in the next few weeks and will begin the process of hiring certified teachers in the next few months."
Kutchback said the center's curriculum will be "rigorous and meet all the state requirements to earn the same high school diploma as traditional high schools," through five 8-9 week terms each year. The term lengths are to ensure "there is opportunity to earn a high school diploma quickly." Class sizes are anticipated to be between 14-18 students and the center will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
"The Excel Centers will be no different from traditional high schools from a curriculum standpoint," Kutchback said. "The diploma will be the same as a traditional high school diploma. Recruitment for those interested will begin immediately."
Kutchback said life coaches will be assigned to help students navigate the return to school, deal with "all the issues students will face as they get back into a school routine, as well as help plan their career paths beyond high school."
"We have a long history of preparing people with barriers for work with a variety of workforce development and training programs. In addition, we are also one of the partners that assists in operating an alternative high school - the Innovative Concept Academy in St. Louis," Kutchback said.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Innovative Concept Academy opened in 2009 and saw mixed reviews after its first year.
The institution serves students ages 10-18. The newspaper described the "experimental" academy as "a new school on the city's north side for juvenile offenders and students who'd been kicked out of their schools for threatening offenses."
Revenues from 44 Goodwill stores assist with funding Mers Goodwill job training and employment services, and the organization is also associated with the United Way. Community integrated services will continue to be provided through the Mers Goodwill Career Center and retail store, both on Westwood Boulevard in Poplar Bluff.