FAYETTEVILLE -- An open house for potential students is scheduled today at the Adult and Community Education Center.
A brief program will feature student testimonials and an announcement about a new scholarship fund to help cover the cost for the General Educational Development Tests.
At A Glance
Adult Education
The Fayetteville Adult and Community Education Center offers GED, citizenship and English as a Second Language programs with a focus on transition to career or college for the adult learner. The program is offered at the Jefferson Center, 612 S. College Ave. and at satellite sites in Lincoln, industry partners, the University of Arkansas, the Northwest Arkansas Community Corrections Center and the Washington County Detention Center. The center services Fayetteville and south Washington County. For more information, call 479-444-3041.
Source: Staff Report
The open house will be from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Jefferson Center at 612 S. College Ave.
Members of the Fayetteville School Board donated the seed money for the Adult Education Field of Interest Fund.
Steve Percival, a board member who was the first donor, will discuss the scholarship program. Mayor Lioneld Jordan and Superintendent Paul Hewitt will also speak.
"With the GED credential, a student can go to college or into a career and research shows he or she raises the income potential by an average of $8,000," said David Deggs, director of adult education in the district.
The classes and materials are free. A $24 fee is required to take the four-part test, according to the Arkansas Department of Career Education. The state pays the rest of the $120 cost.
Katie Tennant, director of the fund, envisions the money helping students pay for the tests or books.
Many students find it difficult to come up with the testing fee or struggle with the expense of getting to the center for class, Tennant said.
"It's a problem of poverty," Tennant said. "Education is a remedy. Poverty is a community issue, not an educational issue."
"Even $20 can be a huge relief to many of these students," Deggs said.
Deggs, 34, joined the school district in July after Kathy Spigarelli retired. He was the director of Downtown Bentonville. Previous employment includes the GED Testing Service in Washington, D.C., and professor of adult education at the University of Arkansas.
Tennant said contributions to the fund can be sent to the Fayetteville Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 997, Fayetteville, 72702.
NW News on 09/23/2014