“We haven’t packed up shop. That’s just not the case. We said that last spring, but I know that’s what the public’s perception is, but it’s just not that way,” he said.
Education in grades kindergarten through 12 is governed by the Ohio Department of Education. Two years ago, adult education was moved under the same governance as area colleges, by the state board of regents. Rasmussen said it made sense to move the business side of adult education to Butler Tech, which is also under the board of regents umbrella.
The move will save the Middletown school district $80,000 in staffing and clerical costs this school year. Once Butler Tech takes over the adult education program, the district will save $150,000 in costs, Rasmussen said.
“The real benefit in the long run is the Board of Regents connection, the connection with future programming and the connection with the whole county. Because they serve most of the county, it made more sense for the adult education program to go with a county-wide organization, as Butler Tech is, as opposed to operating through Middletown City Schools,” Rasmussen said.
Butler Tech’s Jana Kesselring said this is another example of schools finding ways to better collaborate with each other in order to save money and to get better mileage out of those partnerships. The adult education program is funded by a $300,000 Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE) federal grant and a $30,000 English Literacy and Civics Education grant.
Kesselring said there were 600 successful completions of the General Education Development (GED) program last year. More than 1,200 adults are currently in GED preparatory or skill enhancement programs at Butler Tech.
“The headquarters are still at the Manchester Building, and so physically there are still these classes that are being offered, just like they always were,” Rasmussen said. “There’s classes still being offered at various locations around the county. So physically, we still have them in our district, but fiscally we’re beginning to transition away from the management of the program.”
The fiscal responsibility of the adult education program will remain under Middletown’s control through July 1, 2013. Kesselring said she is on hand to make the fiscal transition to Butler Tech a smooth one.
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