Pulaski County has decided to chip in $30,000 to help the Indian Trails Career Cooperative upgrade its equipment and train teachers. Indian Trails requested $100,000 from each of the five counties it serves to apply for a Skill UP grant from the state. Any money committed locally would be matched three-to-one, if Indian Trails is selected.
During a joint Pulaski County Council and Commissioners meeting Monday, Indian Trails Career and Technical Education Director Jim Stradling explained that the grant would help the cooperative build on its existing programs. “The money that we’re using is going to upgrade the facilities that we have, so that we have what industry has,” he said, “so when I go to Braun, I go to Galbreath and Galfab, and they say, ‘This is the machinery we’re using,’ and I don’t have that machinery, then I need to get that machinery so I can teach the kids, so that when they show up at the doorstep, when they graduate, at one of those institutions, they’ve had the training and can do it.” He said another chunk of the money will be used to keep teachers up-to-date with the latest industry trends.
One area of concern for County Commissioner Mike McClure was that West Central is the only Pulaski County school in the Indian Trails Cooperative. “We’ve got Culver, North Judson-San Pierre, West Central, and Winamac,” he said. “It don’t seem fair to the kids or the parents that pay for Culver; their kids wouldn’t be accessible to the CNC that you put in over at West Central.”
Stradling explained that Indian Trails is willing to take students from any district, although schools usually don’t provide transportation outside of their own cooperatives. Others pointed out that Winamac would also benefit from the potential upgrades, since many of the students would likely go on to work at one of the town’s manufacturers.
As a compromise, council member Mike Tiede suggested a smaller contribution, based, in part, on the percentage of Pulaski County students who attend West Central. “I just make the motion to give them $30,000 out of CEDIT money to help out with manufacturing and stuff,” he said.
“Do you want that to be contingent on the grant being received?” asked Council President Jay Sullivan.
“No, just give them money,” Tiede replied.
The council and commissioners both approved the $30,000 figure. Stradling noted that it is a competitive grant, but many potential applicants have dropped out, before today’s deadline for final proposals.
