Dallas Isd Ged Program
Running the register at a Lewisville restaurant, Elizabeth Rosas earns just enough to take care of herself and send a little something back home to San Luis, Mexico, to help provide for her 5-year-old son, her mom and her dad.“It’s hard to find a job in Mexico and, for a single mother, it’s really hard,” said Rosas, 34, who moved to the U.S. Four years ago. “I didn’t have the opportunities that I have here.”Among those opportunities are English language and high school equivalency classes offered through the Dallas Independent School District’s Adult Basic Education program. Rosas takes on-campus classes in Carrollton in the morning and online classes after work.
She hopes for a promotion at work once she has her GED.Others might not have the same opportunity, however.DISD has announced plans to drop the adult education program, which has provided free GED and English as a second language classes for 38 years, to focus on children. The Texas Education Agency is searching for another school district or organization to take over administration of the federal- and state-funded program. What’s not known is whether classes will be suspended or whether schedules and locations will change.“I think it’s going to affect everybody — not only the students but the faculty,” said Nelia Jones, a regional coordinator for the Adult Basic Education program.
“You know what the job market is like right now. That’s something that we’re all going to have to deal with. And I guess we’re all hoping that, whoever picks up the program, that there will be a possibility that we will get a job there.”DISD spokeswoman Libby Daniels said the district has decided to drop the program because its main focus needs to be educating children in pre-K through 12th grades.“That’s really where we want to continue spending our efforts,” Daniels said. “Certainly, it’s no secret that we have lost a number of administrative positions, and while this is a grant-funded program, there would need to be some administrative oversight from our staff. So we decided that it would be best for everyone if another fiscal agent took on the grant.”Debbie Ratcliffe with the TEA said DISD wants to end all classes by mid-May, even though the state contract is not up until August. “It’s not official yet — there are still some details that have to be worked out,” she said, “but if that happens, we would shift that duty to another school district.”.
Joanie Rethlake, state director of Texas LEARNS, which handles the grants for the TEA, said that in a year the funding is likely to become a competitive grant so that other providers would be eligible to apply to run the program. In that case, organizations such as the Dallas County Community College District could compete for the grant.Out of more than 50 adult education programs statewide, DISD’s is the third-largest, Boyd said. The $4 million grant from the TEA and the U.S. Department of Education, serves about 7,000 adult students each year, she said.The average student in the DISD program is a lot like Rosas — 32 years old, Hispanic and female, Boyd said. But the program serves adults of all demographics.Oswaldo Rubio, 40, of Carrollton said he started taking GED classes after he was laid off from his job assembling motors a few years ago. He hoped that getting his high school equivalency certificate would help him get a better job in a tough economy.
He said that last year his high exam scores earned him a $3,200 scholarship from the Texas Association for Literacy and Adult Education, which he plans to use to earn a degree in mechanical engineering.Worries.
Weather Notifications - Can RISD Reach You?If inclement weather causes RISD to cancel or delay school, parents and staff will be notified directly by telephone, email and text message. In order to reach parents, schools must have accurate contact information.
Ged Classes Near Me
If parents have changed their phone number or email address since enrolling their child, they should provide updated contact information to the school front office.Managing Screen Time With ChildrenRISD's Instructional Technology Department is partnering with the Dallas Association for Parent Education to present Connected: Navigating Screen Time With Children, an educational event open to all parents, RISD staff, and the community.The event will be held January 16th from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. At the RISD Professional Development Center. Dawn Hallman, parent educator for DAPE, will present current information on the topic, as well as strategies for managing screen time at home.55 RISD Student-Athletes Earn All State Academic HonorsBrianna Farias of Richardson High School won the District 8-6A cross country championship this year.