Home | County News | Osceola County Supports School District with $2.3 million for Programs, Equipment

Osceola County Supports School District with $2.3 million for Programs, Equipment

Commissioner Cheryl Grieb, State Representative elect Kristen Arrington, Commission Chairwoman Viviana Janer, Commissioner Brandon Arrington, School Board Chairman Kelvin Soto and Superintendent Dr. Debra Pace.

Published on: Oct 15, 2020

PR20-100

Osceola County, Florida – Osceola County Commissioners are supporting the School District with $2.3 million in CARES Act funds for computer equipment, rapid job training, basic education and language programs.

Under the recently signed agreement, programming for technical training will be at Osceola Technical College (oTech) and English Language training will be available at Adult Learning Center of Osceola (ALCO) with locations throughout the County – including St. Cloud and Poinciana.

oTech programs provide accelerated pathways to high wage employment in targeted high-growth industry sectors including healthcare, logistics, technology, construction and manufacturing. oTech offers continuing education programs aligned with local industry needs, and result in stackable, nationally recognized industry credentials.

Programs will include, but not be limited to: Carpentry and Masonry Technician, Electrical and Plumbing Technician, Medical Office Training, Basic Healthcare Worker, Phlebotomist and Forklift Operator.

“The impact of COVID-19 on Osceola County’s economic base built – especially for those in the tourism and hospitality industry -- has been devastating,” said Osceola Commission Chairwoman Viviana Janer. “It will be years before we see the industry return to 2019 levels, with a $71 billion impact on our economy. In the meantime, we have an obligation to assist the thousands who have had their hours reduced, been furloughed, or lost their jobs find a way to economic sustainability and self-sufficiency. The School District has some programs that can help prepare people to be re-employed in new sectors.”

The School District of Osceola County plans to purchase 3,800 computers, cameras, and other training devices to assist K-12 teachers, provide remote learning opportunities for students, as well as some broadband subsidies to provide internet access for students.

“I am particularly delighted that a majority of these funds will be used to provide technology in the hands of students who need it to continue learning in one to one environment,” Janer said.

CARES Act funding will support at least 185 eligible students to complete a GED program, ESL language training, and earn credentials leading to gainful employment,” officials said.

"This is yet another example of the outstanding intergovernmental collaboration between elected officials in Osceola County," said School Board Chairman Kelvin Soto. "The Osceola County School Board thanks the Osceola Board of County Commissioners for these funds that will directly help further our goal of closing equity gaps by expanding our device-to-student ratio to set up students for success. In addition, it is an investment into the economic growth of our county, as we address the workforce training needs of both businesses and workers during this challenging time."

Caption (left to right): Commissioner Cheryl Grieb, State Representative elect Kristen Arrington, Commission Chairwoman Viviana Janer, Commissioner Brandon Arrington, School Board Chairman Kelvin Soto and Superintendent Dr. Debra Pace.

The School District of Osceola County – Use of Funds
*Item*	*Rationale*	*Cost*
Student Tuition Assistance	Up to $538 per student (depending on course selection and financial circumstances) for at least 220 students in adult ESL and GED training. This would include $4,480 to help students pay for the GED exam at ALCO and Osceola Technical College. Some of these funds will be used to pay for industry certification exams for students enrolled in the proposed programs	$29,300
Equipment *Itemized equipment list below	Modeling and simulation equipment to support student learning of industry validated skills, in digital training at oTech in coding, Microsoft Office, Adobe, and other short term training options for students. Another portion of the money would be to support remote learning for in the School District of Osceola County. Some additional dollars would be used to support students enrolled in IB, AP, and PE courses in remote learning environments.	2,214,145
Outreach	Outreach across multiple media channels, including Spanish- language media. This would include flyers for promoting the programs at Osceola Technical College and ALCO.	$10,000
Total:		2,253,445

Student Tuition Assistance: October – December 2020

Start Date:	End Date:	Title:	Campus:	Fee per Program:	# of Students:	Totals:
September 2020
10/01/20	12/30/20	Adult ESL or GED Training Remote	ALCO	$45	150	$6,750
10/01/20	12/30/20	GED Testing Fees	ALCO	$128	35	$4,480
10/01/20	12/30/20	Short Term Trainings to include carpentry, electrical, basic healthcare worker, and phlebotomist. Students will earn an industry certification with these 150 hour programs. This cost would include the industry certification fees.	oTech	$538	15	$8,070
10/01/20	12/30/20	Short term trainings for students at ALCO or oTech to receive short term trainings in forklift operations, coding, or Microsoft training.	ALCO/oTech	500	20	$10,000
					220	$29,300

Detailed Equipment List

Program:	Item:	Rationale:	Price per Unit:	Number:	Total Amount:
Otech Swift Coding Training	Apple Laptops BNDL 13”	Do not have; Needed to allow students to practice skills	$1032	25	$25,800
ALCO Language Training	iPad with AppleCare 7^th 128G	Do not have; Needed to allow students to practice skills	$473	50	$23,650
Otech Coding Training – Short Term	Dell Laptop (Latitude 3400)	Do not have; Needed to allow students to practice skills	$825	25	$20,625
Wi-Fi Hotspot Access – Service	Access through an internet provider	Students will need it for success for remote learning	$100	75	$7,500
ALCO Language Training	Cases for iPads	To protect the iPads	$35	50	$1,750
Computers for 6^th Graders at the School District of Osceola County	Dell Laptops	Dell Laptops for district-wide 6th Grade One-to-One Initiative. Students will be able to take the devices home.	$515	3800	1,957,000
Portable video cameras and projectors for digital instruction.	VIEW Path Classroom Cameras	Portable, wheeled, video cameras / projectors used for large class digital instruction, for example physical education.	$2,284	15	$34,260
Hover Cams for Digital Instruction	Hover Cams	Video cameras designed for use in simultaneous classes, allowing face-to-face and digital instructional delivery, such as AP, or International Baccalaureate.	$308	70	$21,560
Internet Subsidies for students in K-12	Broadband Subsidy	To give access to students who don’t have internet access in K-12 programs.	$290	200	$58,000
Kindergarten One-To-One	iPad Covers	To protect Kindergarten iPads	$20	3200	$64,000
TOTAL EQUIPMENT					2,214,145

Condado de Osceola Apoya al Distrito Escolar con $2.3 Millones para Programas, Equipo

Condado Osceola, Florida – Los Comisionados del Condado de Osceola están apoyando al Distrito Escolar con $2.3 millones en fondos de la Ley Federal CARES para computadoras, entrenamiento rápido de trabajo, educación básica y programas de lenguaje.

Bajo el acuerdo firmado recientemente, la programación para la capacitación técnica será en el Osceola Technical College (oTech) y la capacitación en inglés estará disponible en el Centro de Aprendizaje de Adultos de Osceola (ALCO) con ubicaciones en todo el Condado – incluyendo St. Cloud y Poinciana.

Los programas de OTech ofrecen vías aceleradas para lograr empleos con altos salarios en sectores industriales de alto crecimiento, como atención médica, logística, tecnología, construcción y fabricación. oTech ofrece programas de educación continua alineados con las necesidades de la industria local y da como resultado credenciales industriales apilables y reconocidas a nivel nacional.

Los programas incluirán, pero no se limitarán a: técnico de carpintería y masonería, técnico eléctrico y plomería, capacitación de oficina médica, trabajador de la salud básica, flebotomista y operador de forklift.

“El impacto del COVID-19 en la base económica del Condado de Osceola, especialmente para aquellos en la industria del turismo y la hospitalidad, ha sido devastador,” dijo la presidenta de la Comisión de Osceola, Viviana Janer. “Pasarán años antes de que veamos que la industria regresa a los niveles de 2019, con un impacto de $71 mil millones en nuestra economía. Mientras tanto, tenemos la obligación de ayudar a las miles de personas que han tenido sus horas reducidas o han perdido sus empleos, a encontrar una manera de lograr la sostenibilidad económica y la autosuficiencia. El Distrito Escolar tiene algunos programas que pueden ayudar a preparar a las personas para que sean reempleadas en nuevos sectores.”

El Distrito Escolar del Condado de Osceola planea comprar 3,800 computadoras, cámaras y otros dispositivos de capacitación para ayudar a los maestros de K-12 a proporcionar oportunidades de aprendizaje remoto para los estudiantes, así como acceso a Internet para los estudiantes.

"Estoy particularmente encantada de que la mayoría de estos fondos se utilicen para proporcionar tecnología en manos de estudiantes que la necesitan para continuar aprendiendo en un ambiente uno a uno,” dijo Janer.

Los fondos de la Ley Federal CARES apoyarán al menos a 185 estudiantes elegibles para completar un programa de GED, capacitación de idioma y obtener credenciales que conduzcan a un empleo lucrativo, dijeron los funcionarios.

"Este es otro ejemplo más de la destacada colaboración intergubernamental entre los funcionarios electos en el Condado de Osceola," dijo el presidente de la Junta Escolar Kelvin Soto. "La Junta Escolar del Condado de Osceola agradece a la Junta de Comisionados del Condado de Osceola por estos fondos que ayudarán directamente a promover nuestro objetivo de cerrar las brechas de equidad al expandir nuestra proporción de dispositivos a estudiante para preparar a los estudiantes para el éxito. Además, es una inversión en el crecimiento económico de nuestro condado, ya que abordamos las necesidades de capacitación de la fuerza laboral tanto de las empresas como de los trabajadores durante este tiempo tan difícil."