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GENEVA, Ala. (AP) — A rural county whose high school graduation rates have gone from as low as 80.5 percent in 2010 to as high as 94 percent in 2015 has provided an answer to keeping the doors open to one of its armories.
Gov. Robert Bentley and Alabama National Guard Adjutant Gen. Perry G. Smith joined Geneva County officials Monday to announce the use of the Geneva National Guard Armory on Maple Avenue to expand the Geneva County and Geneva City schools' career technical education (CTE) programs.
By 2017, the armory is expected to be used for CTE programs during the week and for drills by the Guard's new battalion, the 173rd Infantry Battalion, on the weekends. The future of the 11,725-square-foot facility is part of the Army Community Partnership Program (ACP2) in the state, which will allow the armory to serve as a pilot initiative for other armories that have closed or are scheduled to close soon.
The Geneva armory was announced last year as one of about 20 in the state that was expected to close within two years due to shortfalls in funding to modernize the armories to appropriate standards.
Officials said about $5 million from a $50 million bond issue for capital improvement for National Guard armories will go toward renovations at the Geneva armory.
Bentley said the partnership among the armory, Geneva city and Geneva County school districts, and the Alabama Two-Year College System will serve as a model for other rural areas in the state in need of creating or expanding its CTE programs.
"We can make government for the people when we use innovating thinking," he said. "The best programs across the state are those that have local thinkers, local pushers and local ideas."
Geneva County Schools Superintendent Becky Birdsong said the CTE programs the district chooses will include input from local businesses. Those programs being examined so far include dual enrollment and/or welding, health science, ROTC, automotive, HVAC, and pre-engineering courses in which Geneva's schools could partner with Enterprise State Community College and Wallace Community College for instruction.
The district has already hired Chris Duke as its Career Technical Education director and Cooperative Education coordinator to help implement and oversee the new programs.
Birdsong said discussions started years ago on the feasibility of adding more CTE programs to the districts' curriculum. She said the district currently has agriculture and family consumer science CTE programs in place.
Birdsong said between 65 percent and 75 percent of Geneva County's students enroll in postsecondary schools, leaving the opportunity for at least 25 percent of the students to gain education in some type of trade.
"With us not having a lot of industry in Geneva County, we need kids ready to either go to a college or go to a job," she said.
"There's a big need here for kids who don't want to go off to school or get a four-year-degree to be able to earn a very good living and stay here, because they want to be here and contribute to the local community."
Alabama Rep. Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva, said the armory's decision to partner with the schools, as well as the college system's willingness to assist with new programs, gives the local students a greater chance for success.
"We have a generation of children that have come through the schools here with a mother and daddy not going to work since the textile industry left several years ago," he said.
"This move is going to change a lot of work ethics. It's going to give hope to children who have had no hope. It's going to break the cycle of settling for entitlements and minimum wage."
Smith projected at least six other armories in rural areas that were slated to close could remain open through partnerships with the neighboring schools. Those armories were not announced Monday.
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Information from: The Dothan Eagle, http://www.dothaneagle.com
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