By Liz Carey for The Daily Yonder.
Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collaboration

For Montevideo Public School Superintendent Wade McKittrick, creating a medical academy in the Montevideo High School filled a need on two fronts for the rural Minnesota community - the students' and the community's.

Montevideo Medical Academy provides high-school students with medical training to give them a leg up when it comes to getting jobs. For rural hospitals and healthcare providers in the area, it provides a pipeline of talent from which to choose. And, McKittrick said, it provides an incentive to keep young people in the small town, which has just over 5,000 residents and is located in the western part of the state.

In its first year, the program had 25 students. Combined, those students earned 170 college credits, 55 certifications, and 304 hours of clinical experience. Now in its second year, the academy has maxed out at 32 students, with more on the waiting list to get in. Several of the students have decided to go further with their medical career and get a degree at Minnesota West Community College and return to the area to work.

The idea was spawned two years ago, McKittrick said. The healthcare industry in the area was having a hard time finding people to fill vacancies. "I got a phone call one day from an individual ... who just wanted to go, have coffee, and talk about this," McKittrick said. "They just started explaining the problem that they're seeing in their industry, and specifically around LPNs [licensed practical nurses] and CNAs [certified nursing assistants]."

"We left that day and I remember, as clear as a bell, thinking I don't know what the answer is, but I'm really interested in finding a solution," he recalled.

As he saw it, Montevideo's public schools needed a program that would train high school students to fill some of those positions, and do so without costing the district any money.

"When we set off, we knew that we wanted to have a lab within the school itself," he said. "We knew that that was going to be a cost, but we weren't exactly sure how much. And we knew that it meant at least six hospital beds were going to have to be purchased, as well as all of the medical training equipment around the CNA (certification), which meant a medication lab. And for CPR, we were going to have to have mannequins purchased."

On top of that, the school needed instructors, a curriculum, and internship partners, he said.

Reaching out to the community, the school district was able to get equipment, beds and other necessities donated by local businesses, Minnesota West Community College and CCM Health, the small hospital chain in Chippewa County. Along with about $25,000 grant in grant money, the school system was able to pull together the program without incurring any additional costs.

Now in its second year, the Montevideo Medical Academy gives its students the opportunity to earn 22 college credits as well as earn industry certifications to serve as CNAs, trained medication aides (TMA), pharmacy technicians, and to provide first aid/CPR. Students get job-shadowing opportunities at local healthcare employers, participate in hands-on instruction, tour healthcare facilities, and complete internships and externships in the area's healthcare facilities.

Kati Birhanzl, career coordinator for Montevideo Public Schools, said students are qualified to take jobs with local healthcare providers or have interacted with local employers enough that many are given a promise of jobs once they finish college.

Birhanzl said she and other counselors meet with every student who enters the program, not just to make sure they are a good fit for the program, but to make sure they understand the rigors of the program and the potential benefits.

"Every student that registered has to have a conversation with either myself or our social worker or school counselor about the rigor of the class," she said. "And they have conversations with the student that attendance can't be an issue in this class. We have really honest, open conversations with them and have just been very upfront with expectations."

McKittrick said that, from the start, the high-school program was an opportunity the school district wanted to ensure was open to everyone.

"When we were talking this through and looking at the workforce, we really wanted to make sure that we eliminated as many barriers as possible," McKittrick said. "We didn't want a grade point average to get in the way of kids being able to have these opportunities... We knew we were going to have to come behind them and support them in the classroom and in making themselves successful in this."

Teagan Epema, a Montevideo Medical Academy student, said the program has given her knowledge she intends to use in her career and experience in the nursing field.

"I wanted to do the medical academy because I was interested in going into nursing and wanted my CNA to get experience," she wrote in an email. "From the Medical Academy, I got my CNA, TMA, CPR, first aid, and I took medical terminology, which has helped me expand my knowledge. It definitely helped me get started."

And the program has been a success for the healthcare community as well, career coordinator Birhanzi said: "We hear from our hospital partner that their medical providers and nursing staff are happy when they have new employees that have had experience."

McKittrick said the program's success has led to success for the school as well. In recent months, McKittrick said he's been able to share the program with other healthcare providers and other schools around the country.

"When we created this, we did it with the mindset of this was not just to be Montevideo's program. We really wanted it to become a duplicated program that other schools and other communities that are going through the same things that our community is could use," he said.

"We're proud of the work that our folks have done around it and how our community has coalesced around it," McKittrick said "It's an opportunity to shape programs across the state in a way that can affect real health care in more than just Montevideo."


Liz Carey wrote this article for The Daily Yonder.


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The North Carolina Association of Educators is calling on state lawmakers to prioritize disaster relief legislation for public schools and communities in Western North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene.

Tamika Walker Kelly, president of the association, highlighted schools have been central to community recovery efforts, serving as shelters and resource hubs. She explained the association has requested specific actions from lawmakers to support the ongoing needs of affected schools, including free meals for all students and resources to rebuild damaged infrastructures.

"We will continue to uplift the immediate needs, the tangible resources that students need," Walker Kelly explained. "But also the long-term supports that they will need as they recover from this disaster, days, months, and for the years to come. "

Walker Kelly stressed additional funding is critical to meet both immediate and long-term, not just in affected areas but all public schools. For instance, many schools are welcoming displaced students and require essential resources like school supplies, clothing and hygiene items.

In addition to physical resources, Walker Kelly pointed out the emotional effects on students and families have created an urgent need for mental health support.

"Our students have experienced a traumatic event," Walker Kelly stressed. "They need trained personnel in school buildings to help them talk about those things and process that event."

On Friday, Gov. Roy Cooper signed the Disaster Recovery Act of 2024 Part II, giving North Carolina $604 million of additional relief funding. About $64 million is estimated to go to the Department of Public Instruction.


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A new survey found Bridgeport teachers lack confidence in the district's superintendent.

The Connecticut Education Association's survey comes amid ongoing complaints from teachers, district families and other staff about Carmela Levy-David's brief time at the helm. In the survey, teachers characterized the superintendent as unprofessional in dealing with educators and lacking consistent policies.

Kate Dias, president of the Connecticut Education Association, said it is disheartening 80% of respondents are considering leaving Bridgeport to work in other school districts.

"Those aren't people that are saying, 'I'm overwhelmed,' or what have you, 'I want to leave the profession,'" Dias pointed out. "They're specifically saying, 'I'm uncomfortable with what we're doing in Bridgeport, and I don't know if I can sustain what's going on here or I can continue in the present manner.'"

Responding to the survey's findings, Levy-David said she is appreciative of the feedback but wishes the union had come to her with the results first. She added district administrators are committed to adjusting the pace of changes made to the district. The survey's findings are being presented to the Board of Education at its meeting tonight.

It is Levy-David's second year leading the district. Dias contended things have not gone smoothly since the beginning. The union has tried developing a relationship with Levy-David, but Dias argued the superintendent has been unresponsive. Dias added teachers worry about how it affects students, noting educators must pick up the slack.

"If the materials aren't being provided by the district, the teachers are trying to figure out how to get them," Dias pointed out. "If the curriculum is not adequate for the students, the teachers are trying to figure out how to fill those gaps and they're trying to figure out how to make things work. And so, you have teachers working 50, 60 hours a week, and that's just not sustainable."

After presenting the findings, Dias wants to work with the board on what lies ahead but said the board has delayed Levy-David's evaluation or addressing some of the concerns. While Dias wants the board to have sufficient data before proceeding, she contended they have to act, based on the district's discontent.

"We're not talking about a couple of people who are unhappy," Dias stressed. "We're talking about widespread dissatisfaction, and I really think that board of ed is obligated to wonder, 'Who's this superintendent leading?'"


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Wisconsin has one of the higher closure rates in the U.S. for charter schools, according to a new report, which lays out the challenges of staying open.

Charter schools, which receive public funding but are often run by private entities, are billed as alternative learning environments for families who feel they need more options. But the new findings show nationally, more than a quarter of them close by year five, with rates worsening over time. Wisconsin is among the states with a closure rate of at least 45%.

Jenni Hofschulte, southeast Wisconsin representative for the Wisconsin Public Education Network, said families enrolled are left scrambling when a charter school abruptly closes.

"That's 45% of those families put into a lurch and having to make pivots and new choices for their children," Hofschulte pointed out.

She noted traditional public schools are happy to welcome these students back but added local districts often have to move quickly to place them. The report from the National Center for Charter School Accountability cited low enrollment, along with fraud and mismanagement as the top factors behind the closures. Backers of charters said despite such issues, the schools are sometimes still the best options in underserved areas.

Hofschulte acknowledged some families might be happy with their charter school but argued the push to authorize the sites over time ignores the root issues hindering educational outcomes.

"When you look at student outcomes, like, poverty plays the biggest role in it," Hofschulte explained. "But we're not talking about how to address poverty in communities. We're saying, 'Well, it must be the public school system. So, we'll do this other thing. You know, a charter will be better.'"

The Milwaukee Public School system recently dealt with a financial scandal. Hofschulte stressed it should not be taken lightly but suggested the examples are scrutinized more than the shortcomings of charter schools. According to state data, Wisconsin currently has 226 charter schools in operation.