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Community education report highlights summer learning, bike programs and new tech hub
Summary
District staff presented Community Education's scope: 636 classes countywide, early childhood screenings, a Summer Learning Academy with learning gains and nutrition services, All Kids Bike rollout, Safe Routes partnerships and a new tech hub serving students and adults free through grants.
Melanie, the district's Community Education director, presented a comprehensive update on Community Education programs and partnerships, describing enrollment, facility usage, targeted funding and several new or expanded initiatives.
Enrollment and programming: Community Education distributed three catalogs to about 23,000 Itasca County residents and offered roughly 636 classes systemwide in 2023'24, producing about 20,500 individual "opportunities" (a duplicated-count measure that counts each enrollment). Grand Rapids-specific figures included about 195 adult opportunities with 4,542 adult participants and about 197 youth opportunities with roughly 10,200 youth participants. The program reported serving about 14,000 of the 20,500 opportunities in the Grand Rapids district.
Facility use and revenue: Community Education reported 217 distinct groups used district facilities after hours and that invoicing for facility use produced $44,424 in revenue for the district general fund in fiscal year 2024. The director said groups pay custodial costs when additional custodial labor is required.
Early childhood screening: The program conducted 320 early childhood screenings (ages 3'5) using the DIAL-4 assessment, identifying interventions such as speech and special education referrals. Screenings occur monthly with a nurse present and trained screeners shared across sites.
Summer Learning Academy: Melanie reported Summer Learning Academy served 297 students (entering kindergarten through eighth grade), provided 105 hours of academic support during a four-week program, and served 3,872 meals. About 70% of participants qualified for free or reduced-price meals; 25% were on Individualized Education Programs. Program data compared referred students who attended with those who were referred and did not attend, reporting smaller summer learning losses among attendees. Self-reported outcomes included 94% of students saying they expected to do better in the next school year and 97% saying they felt accepted by staff.
Funding and staffing: The district uses targeted services funding that yields approximately 0.2 pupil units per student in the program; staff noted the targeted services funding amount has not changed in 15 years. The program also benefitted from ESSER funds in recent years and remains dependent on competitive grants and partnerships to sustain expanded programming.
All Kids Bike and Safe Routes: Community Education runs an All Kids Bike program with two trailers (48 Strider bikes total) that bring balance-and-bike instruction into kindergarten and first-grade classes across Itasca County; the initiative also partners with Get Fit Itasca and local 4-H in smaller communities. The district previously held a federal Safe Routes to School grant and is temporarily funding a coordinator through Itasca County Public Health SHIP funds while seeking new grant awards.
Tech hub: The district opened a tech hub in the repurposed building that is free to students and subsidized by grants and the fiscal hosting nonprofit Smart North. The hub reported 58 registered students and nightly attendance of about 20'2. The hub offers supervised programming, cybersecurity certification pathways (paid stipends for participants), a sound booth, 3D printing and adult classes. Staff said the hub is intended to serve three audiences: students (primary), targeted programs for females in tech, and paying adult learners for community-ed courses. The hub partners with local industry and the chamber for internships and career exploration. Funding for the hub and associated programs is grant-driven and currently fully subsidized.
Why it matters: Community Education programs touch thousands of residents, provide early identification of learning needs, help reduce summer learning loss for at-risk students, and create pathways to careers in technology for local youth. Several programs rely on short-term grants and would require sustained funding to remain at current service levels.
