Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Work Experience topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves AC Valley as host site for summer work program after hearing employability program details
Summary
After presentations by Employability Solutions and OCR/OER partners about paid work experiences for students with disabilities (stipends, $12/hr wages, job coaching, transportation), the board agreed to host the 'My Work' summer job career training program and asked for the formal contract to be presented.
Board members voted to allow Allegheny-Clarion Valley School District to serve as a host site for the 'My Work' summer job career training program and heard a detailed presentation from local providers about paid student work experiences.
Presenters (introduced at the meeting as Dave and Kirsten Wolf and Melody Kraut) described Wolf's Employability Solutions and a Professional Connections Foundation program administered with OER funding. The program includes a 30-hour sequence (15 hours in-class career preparation and 15 hours of community-based work experience) and a 90-hour total pathway for paid work experiences. Presenters said the on-site paid work experiences include a stipend model and that OPR would pay student wages for 2024 at $12 per hour; the program also provides transportation to and from sites and supplies clothing and necessary safety equipment for students. Presenters stressed job-coach supervision and that all trainers/job coaches hold required clearances.
Board members asked practical questions about age and eligibility (students 16–21 with disabilities), supervision and liability, the length of placements (up to eight weeks, generally Monday–Thursday), and recruitment and paperwork needs (Social Security card, ID). Presenters said they arrange transportation and direct supervision and that some students placed in previous cohorts had obtained ongoing employment after the paid experience.
Following discussion about timing — board members noted May 20 would be late to approve a program that begins mid-June — the board voted to approve AC Valley hosting the 'My Work' program at no cost to the district and asked staff to provide the formal contract for the board's review and signature before finalizing operations.
Outcome and next steps: The board approved hosting and directed administration to place the contract on the next available agenda for formal execution so the program can begin recruitment and site planning.
