State Board Of Ed Will Meet At Nic

When it meets at North Idaho College this week, the state Board of Education will consider ways to beef up services at the community college level.

It also will hear from supporters, and critics, of the controversial School-to-Work program.

The board will meet in the Student Union on Thursday. An open forum, starting at 8 a.m., will include the discussion of School-to-Work. The federal program, now being used in Shoshone County and Benewah County, is meant to get high school students started on careers by matching them with employers.

The strategy for improving community college services will be discussed starting at 2 p.m.

Those services include vocational training, short-term training programs to meet employer needs, programs for high school graduates who aren’t ready for college, programs for special groups such as dislocated workers and minorities, and preparation for transfer to two-year programs.

On Friday, the board meeting will continue at the Workforce Training Center in Post Falls. , DataTimes