By Greg Grisolano
ggrisolano@joplinglobe.com
Franklin Technology Center received the unanimous endorsement of the Joplin Board of Education during a meeting Tuesday night.
David Rockers, Franklin Tech director, presented an evaluation of the center’s program to the board. He said the vocational and career education center is placing just under 80 percent of its graduates either in college, the work force or the military within a year of graduation.
“One of the things we feel like is going to be a challenge this year is the economy,” he said. “Many of our students looking to go to work will have a lot of competition.”
Rockers said Franklin Technology Center has been in place in Joplin since 1937. The program employs 32 instructors and currently serves 338 full-time students from seven high schools, including Joplin.
Rockers said 188 of the students from Joplin High School are enrolled in the three-hour block program, which designates full-time enrollment.
He said the center has a $2 million annual budget, and it charges the school districts $2,000 per year for each student enrolled per three-hour block.
Franklin Tech offers vocational training in a variety of career fields, including automotive, health care, business, industrial and information technology.
Rockers said students are eligible to receive high-school credit for math and communication arts work that they complete as part of their vocational training. He said some courses offer “articulated credit” that can be applied at the college level.
“With the possibility of dual credit and articulated credit with us, they can be halfway towards an associate’s degree when they leave us,” he said.
The board also approved the calendar for the 2010-11 school year.
The school year will begin Wednesday, Aug. 18, and is scheduled to conclude Friday, May 20, 2011. It was reported incorrectly in Tuesday’s edition of the Globe that the board would consider the 2011-12 school year calendar.
In other business, the board:
-- Received an update on construction at North Middle School from architect Jim Lattimer. He said the two additions to the school have been completed, and the bulk of the remaining work is centered around renovating the existing portion of the school. He said the school is on track to be completed this spring and will reopen in August.
-- Approved the retirements of 20 teachers.
-- Approved payment of $5,911,687 in bills.
Next meeting
Members of the Joplin School Board announced that the panel’s next meeting has been changed from Tuesday, March 9, to Thursday, March 11.
