District seeks Claude Moore grant to boost nurse-aide, mental-health assistant and CTE pathways
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Summary
CTE director Dr. Thomas Midgett outlined a Claude Moore Scholars grant proposal aimed at increasing NCLEX pass rates, expanding clinical hours and adding mental-health assistant certifications; board members asked about internships and paid workplace experiences.
Dr. Thomas Midgett, the division's director of CTE programs, presented the district's Claude Moore (Clubmore) grant proposal, describing objectives to produce career-ready students who exit high school with industry credentials and clinical experience.
"Our project addresses quality outcomes for students, which results in more students entering the health care workforce that are prepared to serve our community," Midgett said, and noted the district's aim to increase the number of nurse-aide students who meet state licensure criteria and pass the NCLEX. The presenter said maintaining board-of-nursing approval requires an 80% or higher NCLEX pass rate for programs that remain under that oversight.
Midgett described an itemized budget for the proposal: personnel costs (~$76,560), purchase services (~$83,820), instructional supplies (~$17,000) and related items bringing the project summary to roughly $177,380 as presented to the board. Staff said a teacher-match component reduces the district's net personnel costs for the initiative.
Board members asked how CTE pathways will expand beyond nursing. Midgett said course proposals for mental-health assisting careers part two and hospitality/tourism are forthcoming, and flagged long-term plans for skilled trades (electrical, carpentry) aligned to local labor needs. He also described current paid internship pilots: automotive students intern with local dealerships weekly and some students receive about $100 per week through funding from the Creative Regional Workforce Development Board for workplace experiences.
Questions also touched on earlier partnerships (for instance, a state-supported Dominion Energy workforce program) and whether the district can re-create paid-work models that let students earn while learning.
Next steps: staff will submit the Claude Moore grant application and return with updates on award status and program implementation details.
