Lateral Entry Teacher Certification, Budget, Construction Top VGCC Trustees’ Meeting
Everyone knows there is a shortage of certified classroom teachers in the public schools of the four counties served by Vance-Granville Community College. The college is working on a program to help alleviate this problem.
At their bi-monthly meeting on March 20, the VGCC Board of Trustees approved the college offering courses for the Lateral Entry program, beginning in the summer term that starts May 23.
The Lateral Entry program is for people who have college degrees but who do not have teacher certification from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. They need to take nine courses for 27 credit hours to get their certificates, reported Marsha Nelson, vice president of Instruction. A community college may provide six of these courses, with three being offered by a participating university. Required courses may be offered on the VGCC campuses, or some may be offered online.
In Vance County alone, there are currently 139 classroom instructors who do not have state certification, and Granville, Warren and Franklin counties are also employing teachers who need to become certified by the state.
County Budgets
The trustees also approved a proposed 2006-2007 Current Expense and Capital Outlay budget for the counties that support the college, contingent upon approval by the counties’ commissioners.
Total funds being requested from the counties is $2,255,651, of which $2,053,487 is for operation, or current expense, of the four campuses, and $182,164 is for building and maintenance, or capital outlay. The total represents a 9.2 percent increase over funds allocated by the counties to VGCC in the 2005-2006 fiscal year.
The college is asking Vance County for $869,637 for operation of the main campus and $114,123 in capital outlay funds. Granville County’s portions are $290,535 for main campus operations, $198,923 for South Campus expenses, and $10,000 in capital outlay. The college is seeking $139,324 from Warren County in operating funds and $5,000 in capital outlay funds for the campus in Warrenton. Franklin County is being asked for $280,068 for operating expenses and $15,000 in capital funds for the campus at Louisburg.
Construction Update
Trustee John Foster, Building Committee chairman, reported to the trustees that construction is well under way on the 20,000 square-foot addition to the South Campus in Granville County.
The building structure is erected, and steel decking is being installed. Foundation masonry is complete, electrical and plumbing work have begun, and construction of a new parking lot is nearly complete. The project is on schedule for completion of the building in November, Foster said.
Construction is scheduled to begin in late March on the laboratory for the Bioprocess Technology program in Building 8 on the main campus. The lab will house equipment to train operators for the biotech industry and should be ready for student use when Fall Semester begins in August.
Global Studies
Nelson also reported that 12 VGCC students will participate in a Global Studies program this summer. They will go to Costa Rica for 3 1/2 weeks where they will take courses in Spanish and environmental biology with four accompanying instructors from VGCC.
The trip will cost about $36,000, Nelson said, and the students have already raised about $24,000 of the money from yard sales and food sales. Another large yard sale was scheduled for Saturday, April 1, on the parking lot of the former Winn-Dixie on Dabney Drive.
Partners Award
In her report to the board, Vanessa Jones, vice president of Community and Economic Development, said that Vance-Granville Community College received the Community Partner of the Year Award for 2005 from Kittrell Job Corps Center. Vance-Granville conducts several instructional programs on the center, and many Job Corps students also attend classes at the VGCC main campus.
