Education opportunities offered to adults in Atlanta

Lisa Jones, director of adult education and literacy at Texarkana College, made a presentation to the Atlanta City Council on Monday night about adult education opportunities in Atlanta that are offered through the Texas Workforce Commission.

The program, which has been funded by the Texas Workforce Commission since 2014, provides English language, math, reading, and writing instruction to assist the student in acquiring the skills needed to succeed in the workforce, earn a high school equivalency, or enter college or career training.

Texarkana College took over the program last year from its previous administrator, Texarkana Independent School District.

Jones said, “It really fits better with the mission of the college.”

The grant which funds the program comes from the state and federal governments, covers Cass and Bowie counties, and offers free classes, tuition assistance for training, and transition assistance to college, training, and work.

“We are collaborating with the community and business program at TC for Allied Health Training for things like dental assisting, phlebotomy, clinical medical assistant. Our program is actually paying the tuition and fees half of that for the student.”

Jones explained that those programs are 12 to 16 weeks in length, and students who receive assistance can pay up to $2700 which is half of the cost and can be satisfied with a repayment plan. The other half is subsidized by grants.

“There’s a lot more to our program than just helping students get their high school equivalency.”

Students who participate cannot qualify for additional financial aid because the training is not being offered through their academic departments.

“Right now, we have expended our funds for the year. We have 16 students that have started in that program in the last two weeks.”

Jones said that they are being sought out more by prospective students as the program receives more attention.

“People are finding out about it and coming in the door wanting the money like crazy and I’m asking for more funding because I feel like I can use it if they give it to me.”

“It’s a great way to get people out of minimum wage jobs. It gets their foot in the door at a clinic, hospital, they get trained and then they move forward.”

There are currently 22 students enrolled in the high school equivalency program in Cass County. Jones said they hope to grow that number.

“We also help all of our students’ transition to college, training. We try to get them connected to the right people. We are responsible for helping them transition and we’re held accountable for that in our grant.”

Class is held at the Atlanta High School in the Career and Technology Building in Room 305, in the evening with the instructor, Karen Nettleton. The class collaborates with Angela Thompson, ACE Family Engagement Specialist, and Atlanta Public Library.

According to the Texas Association of Counties and 2020 Texas Education Scorecard, Cass County has a 14% dropout rate and 32% of adults are not ready for college.

In a follow-up interview, Jones said she presented the Adult Education Program to the City of Atlanta to raise awareness of the program.

“We are trying to build the program, and I have been speaking to community organizations to spread the word. I have attempted to advertise and communicate information about our classes through schools and local businesses and churches.”

“Currently, Atlanta is the only location for classes in Cass County. We would love to expand to other areas if we receive more grant funding from the Texas Workforce Commission. At this time, I am not asking for monetary assistance. I simply want these leaders to share information with other people they are connected within the community. I would like to establish referral systems for students.”

For more information about the program, contact Lisa Jones at Texarkana College at 903-823-3460 or email to lisa.jones@texarkanacollege.edu.