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Students, teachers urge Franklin County School Board to preserve EagleTech project-based program
Summary
More than a dozen students and a teacher told the board the EagleTech project-based learning program builds college and workplace skills, supports at-risk learners and produces measurable community benefits; they urged the board to let current students finish the program and reconsider planned cuts.
Dozens of students and a teacher told the Franklin County School Board on April 13 that eliminating the EagleTech project-based learning program would remove an educational option that, they said, helps struggling students and builds workforce skills.
Multiple students described how EagleTech increased their confidence and presentation skills and urged the board to allow rising seniors to finish the program. "All we're asking for is one more year of the program to prove to y'all that this program helps a lot of people," said Lucy Switzer, a Franklin County High School student. Teacher Shannon Brooks told the board EagleTech students have produced community projects, charitable fundraisers and above-average assessment outcomes; she said the program serves more than a hundred students when freshmen are counted.
Students and speakers described EagleTech as project- and problem-based learning that emphasizes collaboration, communication, and real-world problem solving. Henry O'Neal, an EagleTech student, said the program "is a community, a support system, and a family" and described student-run projects that raised money for charity and involved the community.
Shannon Brooks, who teaches in the program, said the division has 22 juniors and "80 plus freshmen currently in EagleTech classes," and that the program requires no additional ongoing district dollars. "This is not a small program," Brooks told the board, and she urged members to preserve it.
Board members did not take immediate action at the April meeting; public comments were recorded during the public-comment period and the issue remains on the board's ongoing agenda for future discussion and budget review. The board will consider program funding and staffing as part of its May agenda and broader budget deliberations.
