Ruleville, MDCC Joins Hands in Dropout Assistance Plans

By Taylor Mitchell
The CNL

The Ruleville Economic Development Committee may soon begin a dropout assistance program in partnership with Mississippi Delta Community College.

The plan, aimed at giving high school students who are at risk of becoming dropouts, the necessary skills for success, as well as an opportunity to earn a GED.

The program was unveiled Thursday night in Ruleville at a meeting of the Ruleville Economic Development Committee.

“What we want to do, is not only teach the GED to people, but teach a skill that when they accomplish the GED, they have a skill that goes with it,” Larry Bailey, President of Mississippi Delta Community College, said. “It’s very similar to high school students who get to complete their degree and have gone through some of the technical programs in high school.”

The program will teach high school dropouts carpentry skills so they can join the workforce as soon as possible. Possibly, as the program expands, other skills will be added to the curriculum.

“Down the line it could expand into electrical, heating and air, those kinds of things that have real job potential” Bailey said. “In an economy that right now is turning towards a lot of skilled labor, that’s where we want to head.”

Like in all start-up programs, there is money to be obtained before anything can happen.Currently, MDCC is waiting to receive a youth bill grant that is worth over $1 million.

“This youth bill grant is a federal grant that is about 1.2 million dollars,” Bailey said. “What it does is it gives you the funds to provide stipends for the people that are involved, so that if they aren’t working during the time or have to miss work to participate in this, it gives them some income.

“It also pays the teacher’s salaries and pays for materials that they would be learning on and those kinds of things.”

One potential problem Bailey may run into is not being awarded the grant, but he is optimistic about his odds.

“I’m sure hundreds of grants across the nation were submitted as part of the process,” Bailey said. “We feel really good about it being that’s it tied with Ruleville’s strategic plan, which would show a person who looks at it that the community is behind it.

“One of the biggest factors in this grant is the community. They want community support. This one has the community support and the school district’s support. That is a real plus.”

Ruleville is not the first town that MDCC has started a program like this.

Currently Shelby and Drew each have one, with Drew having a nursing program.

“The beauty of the idea here in Ruleville and as close as Shelby is, is that our Drew center can serve most of the academic needs in both communities,” Bailey said. “Nobody would ever say Drew is centrally located, but where Drew is, it would be central for both the Ruleville community and the North Bolivar area.”

According to Bailey, a site has already been selected as the primary location for the learning center to be located in Ruleville.

“Billy (Marlow) has located a sight here in Ruleville,” Bailey said. “What we would like to do is put this here in Ruleville. It won’t be connected with the school, but the school is a partner. It won’t be on the school grounds or anything.”

However, nothing will happen until the funds have been obtained.

“We are about three months from knowing,” Bailey said. “The grant has been submitted, the agency that is responsible for the funding has received the grant, and they are going through the process right now. It is a competitive grant.”
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