Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education Transition Program topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Polk launches STEAL program at Ridge Technical College; grant to fund coordinator and classroom staff
Summary
Polk County Public Schools presented a new postsecondary transition program for adults with intellectual disabilities (STEAL). The state grant will fund a senior coordinator, a teacher and a paraprofessional initially at Ridge Technical College; staff described a three‑year grant period and plans to expand beyond culinary.
District staff on April 22 introduced STEAL — Specific Training Empowering Exceptional Learners — a grant‑funded transition program scheduled to launch this fall at Ridge Technical College for adults with intellectual disabilities.
Presenters including Leanne Bennett (Senior Director, Career Technical & Adult Education), Laura Webster (assistant director) and Travis Wiggs described the program as a comprehensive postsecondary transition offering that allows adult students (over age 22) to enroll in technical education programs alongside peers while receiving academic supports, job‑skill instruction and certificates. The district plans to start the program in fall 2025 with the culinary program and staff positions funded by the state grant for an initial three‑and‑a‑half‑year period.
Bennett said the grant will fund a senior coordinator (new job description), one teacher and one paraprofessional; personnel were the largest cost category in the grant budget. Board members pressed on whether the grant is competitive and renewable; staff said the grant is a state program that is typically renewed in three‑year cycles and that positions will be clearly designated as grant‑funded with contract language noting their contingent status. Board members also asked about outreach and marketing; Bennett said the senior coordinator would handle marketing and the ESE department and transition staff would help recruit students.
Board members raised questions about long‑term sustainability if the grant funds end, and staff said the district would need to reassess program viability and consider internal funding or other grants. Staff said the grant was not federal but a state allocation that flows through established channels and that they would provide additional follow‑up details on funding source structure.
Ending: Staff requested permission to add the grant‑funded positions and associated job descriptions; final approval will come at the upcoming board meeting.
