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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In this week's 2026 budget address, Gov. Kristi Noem proposed establishing education savings accounts for K-12 students in South Dakota. Opponents countered a voucher program could undermine the state's education system, by siphoning dollars away from public schools.

Noem announced she set aside $4 million in next year's budget to launch the accounts at about $3,000 per qualifying student. She explained the initial investment would pay for a portion of a student's private school tuition or home schooling.

"Good education starts in the home, and parents should have the tools that they need to choose the educational path that is best for their kids," Noem stated. "My hope is that these ESAs will ultimately be available to every single student in South Dakota."

Noem added her proposal will not cut funding for public schools. But opponents argued the 1.25% funding increase Noem proposed for public education will still be a cut, as it won't be enough to cover the cost of inflation.

Five statewide education groups released a joint letter last week, urging policymakers to strengthen public education. Among them is the South Dakota Education Association.

Sandra Waltman, director of public affairs for the association, said Noem's plan to expand the accounts over time would harm South Dakota students, who largely attend public schools.

"This will certainly divert scarce tax dollars from our public schools, which serve 80% of South Dakota students, to private school operators that lack any taxpayer accountability," Waltman contended. "Public schools will lose thousands of dollars in state aid, yet operational costs will remain the same."

The governor's proposal echoes similar Republican-led legislation in other states and will require action from South Dakota lawmakers in the next legislative session. A similar K-12 voucher bill brought to the House Education Committee in 2023 died in the chamber.

Hundreds of former North Carolina college students are back on track to getting their degrees, thanks to an innovative program called Project Kitty Hawk.

The project started in 2023 and has reenrolled more than 2,900 students who started but left college and are now on their way to graduation. The reenrollment program is an affiliate of the University of North Carolina System and allows students to pick up where they left off at any of 10 campuses around the state.

Andrew Kelly, president and CEO of Project Kitty Hawk, said students leave college for various reasons, but most have a similar motivation for returning.

"One thing those individuals often have in common, many of them wish that they could find a way to come back and finish that credential," Kelly observed. "Because it's often what stands in the way of getting promoted, from them finding a family, sustaining wage in their work, and from really launching that career."

Kelly explained that they contact former students who never finished, walk them through options for when and how to resume their studies, and help them find an institution that fits their needs. He pointed out that some former students return after a few years, but for others, it can be a decade or more.

Kelly noted some former students left campus for personal, family or economic reasons and have found it challenging to resume their studies. He emphasized it is often a matter of tailoring their study plan to meet their individual needs.

"Mostly what you see with this demographic is they really do often need to learn online," Kelly outlined. "They can't uproot and move to a college town and live in a dorm. They can learn when they have the time."

He acknowledged returning to classes after an extended period away can be daunting and many said they need help figuring out where to start. Kelly added the program's counselors walk students through the steps to help them succeed.

"There's an individual you are assigned to, and that person really is your coach," Kelly said. "They help coach you through the program, answer your questions about your program, help you set goals and hold yourself accountable, develop study skills and just be the person in your corner."

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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Georgia higher education officials are crediting a program assisting high school students with a wave of new enrollment in the state's colleges and universities.

Recruiting officials say Georgia Match helped the 26 schools in the University System of Georgia reach a total enrollment of almost 365,000 students, up 5.9% over 2023.

Sonny Perdue, chancellor of the University System of Georgia, said Georgia Match helps students and their families understand the long-term value of a college education.

"We try to promote the facts of the value and because people can understand value and that's really what we're trying to do," said Perdue, "quality versus cost - and if you have a great quality product at an affordability rate, then people are more likely to choose that."

Georgia Match reaches out to high school students with information on opportunities at Georgia universities and assists them with admissions.

Perdue said enrollments have been down since before the pandemic in 2019, and state officials are looking to boost the numbers.

He added the University System of Georgia saw its growth outstrip that of other state colleges nationwide. The National Student Clearinghouse reports in 2024, student enrollment nationwide grew by just 3%.

"We swam against the stream nationally and doubled the incoming first-time freshmen," said Perdue. "Where much of the country was down, we were up - and that was 2.6%. So, we're focusing on value."

Georgia Match is part of a nationwide trend called direct admission. The idea is to reach students who haven't considered going to college.

Perdue said more than half the students who received a letter applied for admission to a public Georgia college.

"The value of the ability to move within the system is helpful even for those who may not be able to attend or be admitted to one of the larger flagships earlier," said Perdue. "They see a path that way eventually, and I think that helps our recruitment in our access colleges."

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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