LOCAL WORKFORCE INVESTMENT BOARD OF NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

YOUTH COUNCIL

Minutes of Meeting – September 6, 2001

A meeting of the Youth Council of the Northwest Arkansas Local Workforce Investment Board was held Thursday, April 25, 2001, at the Eureka Best Western, in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

Council Members present were:

MS. KATHRYN BLAIR

MS. DONNA CASTO

MS. SALLY CONDUFF

MR. DAVID ENGLE

MS. KATHY WEAVER, proxy for Cheryl Green

MS. MARLENE HADA

DR. LEE HAIGHT

MR. JAMES HARTER

MR. LLOYD HAUGHT

MS. JOLENE HIGHFILL

MR. KINLEY JOHNSON

DR. MARSHA JONES

MR. BOB KILLION

MS. GINNY MCWILLIAMS

MS. DOLORES MYERS

MR. TOM PITTMAN

DR. DONALD QUINN

MR. JIM SMITH

MR. JIM STEVENS

MS. DIANA TUCKER

Committee Members absent and excused by Chair were:

MS. LYNDA BROTHERS

MS. KATHY COLEMAN

MR. DENNIS COTTRELL

MS. CATHY DANIELS

MR. MICHAEL KELLY

MS. LIZ KENNEDY

MS. SUSAN MCGAUGHEY

MS. RUTH PHILLIPS

MR. WILLIAM ROUNTREE

MS. SUSAN SKELTRON

MR. BRENT TAYLOR

MS. LINDA TUHACEK

MR. TOMMY TYLER

MR. ANDREW VINING

Others present were:

Mr. Ed Walker, NWAEDD

Mr. Bill Smiley, NWAEDD

Ms. Amy Bell, NWAEDD

Ms. Susan Daniel, NWACDC

CHAIRPERSON MARSHA JONES called the meeting to order at 10:10 a.m.

The minutes of the May 16, 2001 meeting were approved on a motion by MR. LLOYD HAUGHT and second by MR. KINLEY JOHNSON. Motion carried.

MR. WALKER then explained that the State Workforce Education Department is promoting the use of Career Opportunities final year funding for Career Academies. He also provided the following guidance, which was passed by the Local Workforce Investment Boardon September 5, 2001:

Give priority for funding to those schools who do not currently have a Career Academy.

MR. JIM STEVENS, who also serves on the Board, explained that the Board wants to give smaller schools, in all 9 counties of the Local Workforce Investment Area, the ability to have a Career Academy.

After much discussion, the following motion was made by MR. LLOYD HAUGHT:

  1. Final year Career Opportunity funds must fund sustainable programs or systems with the vision of establishing a Career Academy.

State identified sustainable programs are:

Career Exploration/Planning,

Work-based Learning,

High Schools that Work (HSTW),

Articulation,

Curriculum integration and

Career Academies

  1. The sixprograms listed above are by nature inclusive, with the highest order being Career Academies.
  2. There are limited funds.

d.Small and middle population schools have current needs that are best, and possibly only, served at levels below the Career Academy level.

e.School districts which currently receive Career Academy funds are not eligible for these Career Opportunity funds unless funds remain following this RFP process. Then the RFP will be released to the remaining school districts for responses.

  1. Some school districts may elect to request funding for academies, other than Career Academies, such as English as Second Language Academy or Overage Academy (behind in grade level in core subject areas), etc.
  2. The staff should prepare a letter to schools who do not have Career Academy funds in order to:

announce the future release of a RFP,

define the five identified sustainable areas,

and announce a date for a RFP bidders conference to provide assistance to schools who wish to respond to the RFP.

  1. The staff should conduct the RFP conference with help from Youth Council Members.
  2. The RFP will be released to those school districts that have not been provided Career Academy funds. Generic definitions for the five state accepted sustainable programs will be included in the RFP.
  3. RFP responses will be accepted and scored by the Youth Council
  4. Acceptable RFPs will be funded with available funds.
  5. If funds remain following this RFP process, then the RFP will be released to the remaining school districts for responses.

The motion was seconded by MR. JIM STEVENS. Motion carried.

MR. WALKER addressed the Council concerning membership efforts. He explained that the Council needed to recruit the following members:

  1. Parents of Eligible Youth
  2. Students
  3. Any other interested individual

MS. SALLY WALKER agreed to recruit a student and to contact the Big Brother Big Sister Association for members. Staff was asked to recruit a student from North Arkansas College in Harrison. DR. LEE HAIGHT and MR. LLOYD HAUGHT agreed to recruit parents of eligible youth. DR. MARSHA JONES agreed to contact Tysons.

MS. SUSAN DANIEL, of NWACDC, addressed the Council about the possibility of using WorkKeys® to put together a career curriculum in high schools. CHAIRPERSON MARSHA JONES asked MS. DANIELS to put her proposal in writing and forward to the Youth Council for consideration. Youth Council members who were interested in MS. DANIEL’S proposal were asked to meet with her after the meeting.

MS. DIANA TUCKER announced a meeting of the Benton County Youth Concern Committee and invited Council members to attend.

MR. WALKER then announced a training session with Kip Stottlemyer scheduled for September 26-27 in Little Rock. Council members were asked to complete registration forms and return to Workforce Investment Board staff by September 20, 2001.

There being no other business, the meeting adjourned on a motion by MS. DOLORES MYERS and a second by MR. LLOYD HAUGHT.