High School Equivalency Teacher Diana Clark discusses statistics about the Warsaw Adult Education program. InkFreeNews photo by Liz Shepherd.

By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Warsaw Adult Education’s staff and a local employer discussed the impact the program has on the community during an Aug. 14 Warsaw Community Schools’ Board of Trustees meeting.

Gateway Educational Center Principal Dave Bailey said the program, which is funded through the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, focuses on overcoming adversity, offering free GED and ELL classes to those in both Fulton and Kosciusko Counties. Warsaw Adult Education also offers logistics certifications.

Staff also work closely with participants in the Fulton and Kosciusko County Jail Chemical Addiction Programs.

“I’ve never seen a group of people more dedicated and more fulfilled by what they do than the folks I work with at adult ed,” said Bailey about the program’s staff. “It’s a powerful thing to see people overcome dependency while also gaining skills as they do so.”

Warsaw Adult Education also focuses on helping students with significant transitions, such as enrolling in college or entering the workforce.

Rick Swaim, career coach counselor, said 75 individuals are expected to enroll in some type of WAE programming the week of Aug. 21. The group meets in the basement of Ivy Tech Community College.

High School Equivalency Teacher Diana Clark said Warsaw Adult Education had 166 students in 2022, with 92 receiving GEDs. The ELL program in particular has seen a 400% increase in participants.

Clark is also the only full-time employee in the program, with everyone else’s involvement being on a part-time basis.

Instrumental Machine & Development Owner Todd Speicher recalled an instance where he hired six Hispanic people who all were seeking employment. However, none of the individuals spoke English. Speicher contacted staff at Warsaw Adult Education, who offered the employees ELL classes.

“As a board and a community, you have a lot to be proud of,” said Speicher to the board. “My hope is that there’s more awareness about a population who’s extremely valuable to us.”

In other business, the board held a pre-negotiation hearing for its contract with the Warsaw Community Education Association. WCS and WCEA have had conversations over the last year to evaluate priorities, budgets, legally bargained items of salary and salary-related benefits, demographic forecasts and enrollment. The formal bargaining process will conclude in mid-November.

The board’s next meeting will be a combined work session and regular meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 18.