Upper-level students with the Neelyville R-IV school district will have an additional elective option in the 2021-22 school year geared toward helping them overcome barriers to graduation and success after school.
The school board approved added the Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) program to high school and junior high.
Teresa Smith, JAG program director, presented the information to the board recently and answered questions from those in attendance.
Smith, who grew up in Van Buren and worked for 30 years as an educator/administrator in four Missouri school districts, joined the JAG-Missouri team after retiring from Van Buren in 2020.
JAG-Missouri is a non-profit organization that offers curriculum and financial support to school districts in an effort to address students who are struggling in school due to outside factors such as poverty and trauma.
Teachers and others within the district would recommend students to be part of the program based on what they know of the student. Smith said to be in JAG, they must have, on average, five barriers. However, on average the JAG-Missouri students have 10-12 barriers, she said.
Academic barriers include, but are not limited to: low academic performance, not passing state exams, previous suspension and no internet connectivity or technology at home. Environmental barriers include a parent who didn’t graduate high school or who doesn’t work, a student who is pregnant or is a parent, alcohol or substance abuse, homelessness/runaway/in foster care or lacks transportation to work. Other barriers include being in special education, having health problems or being on the free lunch program.
Smith said JAG added barriers this year if the student or their parent(s) were laid off or had their work hours reduced because of the pandemic.
While JAG provides financial assistance for districts to use the program, the district is expected to chip in money as well.
Smith estimates that a high school program costs about $60,000 a year and a middle school program costs $40,000. JAG offers to cover 50% of the cost. If a school district implements both programs, like Neelyville administration is discussing, JAG would offer $50,000 a year.
“We ask that you spend our money first, and then spend the district’s money,” she said. “So, it might not be a one-to-one, but we expect you to at least have that in mind for your budget.”
This money can cover the salary for the teacher, or JAG specialist, field trips to colleges or potential employers, supplies for in-class projects, or needs the students to face outside of school such as money for clothes to wear to a job interview.
After students graduate, the teacher will keep in contact with them for at least a year to help them stay on track in college, trade school or career choice. If a student isn’t succeeding, the teacher would then try to help them get back on track.
School board members said the program sounded promising and worth investing in for the potential benefit it could have on the students.
The next step is for administration to sit down and really figure out what they want the program to look like, areas to focus on and which students need the extra help.
Smith said the middle school curriculum is largely focused on decision-making and the high school curriculum focuses on job/college opportunities and soft skills. However, it’s also moldable to where teachers can add more on topics such as trade skills if that’s what the students are interested in.
“There are all different kinds of scenarios that we can look at,” Superintendent Debra Parish said.