The University of Alaska Southeast established a physical presence in Wrangell last year when its regional Tech Prep coordinator moved into an office in the local high school. The school district and the university are working to help students and adults continue their education after high school, while trying to fill the needs of local businesses.
UAS Tech Prep Regional Coordinator Kim Szczatko said her main goal is to help local students get educated and get good jobs in their hometown.
And because Szczatko is now based in Wrangell, she also wants to aid the community in filling its need for workers trained in health care, construction and marine services.
“UAS is really interested in Wrangell and in expanding their programs so that people have more opportunities–with construction, with welding, with marine transportation, refrigeration and air, plumbing and heating–all of those things we need in the community, in talking with different businesses,” Szczatko said. “I have a whole list.”
And she said Wrangell is unique because of opportunities for educating students by partnering with other organizations like the fire department, the hospital and local businesses.
Wrangell Schools Superintendent Patrick Mayer said this is just the beginning of the district’s relationship with UAS, and it is growing.
“We’re looking at how we can develop programs with increased Tech Prep offerings in the school, and also with adult education programs in the community, and partnering with entities within the community to provide even more opportunities for students whether they be high school students or adult students,” Mayer said.
A Tech Prep course is any class taught to a high school student by a high school teacher for University of Alaska credit. The program is meant to help high school students start gaining the skills and college credit they need to continue their education after they graduate.
Wrangell already offers 62 college credits in math, English, computer literacy, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training, mining, welding and woodworking.
For the next school year, Szczatko is proposing the addition of courses for Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) training, medical terminology, fisheries oceanography and Alaska salmon culture. Other possibilities are culinary arts, health information management, criminal justice and marine transportation.
But she also hopes to start some adult education courses in Wrangell. A few courses are already available to high school students, like woodworking and welding. Additional classes may be about human anatomy, diesel engines, electrical systems and refrigeration.
This would allow Wrangell residents to stay in town longer while continuing their education.
For example, if a health sciences program is created, students could do a two-year pre-nursing program in Wrangell, and then go to Juneau for two years to become a registered nurse.
Szczatko said that even with state budget issues forcing cuts to public education, she thinks a new health sciences program can move forward.
“Right now the university is under hiring restrictions, and so it’s kind of put a damper on things,” Szczatko said. “But I think once we understand how the budget’s impacting [schools], I think we can move past that.”
At the local level, the Wrangell school district is planning to save money by dropping a faculty position after a teacher retires at the end of this year. That teacher leads a tech prep course.
Mayer said the state budget will force the district to re-evaluate the way it offers classes.
“I think there are ways that we can accomplish this. For example, with that retiring teacher we have computer apps class, so I think there are multiple ways we can figure out how to deliver that class,” Mayer said. “And just looking at it on a class-by-class basis, just seeing how those can be absorbed into the schedule. I think there’s room in the schedule for those sections to be absorbed.”
Mayer and Szczatko said they are looking into grants that could help fund the expansion of adult programming in Wrangell.
From her office next to the Wrangell High School gym, Szczatko said she is also a local source for all kinds of information about college and scholarships.
“Registering for classes, registering for programming, making applications, trying to figure out how much they owe–all of those things, I can do,” Szczatko said. “I can help them fill out scholarships so they can come in, and it doesn’t matter if they’re high school or home school or adult students, I can help them with all of those things and point them in the right direction.”
Mayer said he has seen current and former high school students getting help from Szczatko, from finding a path for their future to solving a math problem.
Szczatko said she has talked with a lot of people in town, but she wishes more Wrangell residents would come to her for information and assistance. She also emphasized that she can answer questions about education outside the state.
The current agreement between UAS and the Wrangell School District is valid through June 2016.
