The Perry School Board recently approved a memorandum of understanding that will bring the Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates (iJAG) program to the middle school.

Already used at Perry High School, iJAG has proven to be a successful tool for students seeking to get a leg up on life after grade school, according to Superintendent Clark Wicks. He says the administrators at both schools have seen the benefits of the program — which involves giving students real world job training and skills — and they feel it will become even more effective by adding two more years to the experience. Wicks says the price tag for bringing iJAG to the middle school is $22,500, which will come from the At-Risk/Dropout Prevention Fund, and he believes it will be well worth the cost. “We just feel that it’s a huge investment. It’s also something that’s going to pay huge dividends, because we’re going to reach a lot of kids. Year one we can serve 35 kids, then the next year we can serve up to 45-50 students. So we’re going to be increasing that after the first year. So they’ll help these kids build character, build a purpose, and also build that vision of what they want to do to be a productive citizen.”

Wicks says they’ll be hiring a director for the middle school iJAG program soon, and that individual will train over the summer and be ready for students in August. He adds, there’s already been a lot of buzz around the District regarding the program, with students eager to take part. To learn more about this and other topics regarding the Perry School District, click the link below to listen to the most recent Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program with Wicks.

https://www.raccoonvalleyradio.com/2019/05/14/lets-talk-dallas-county-5-14-2019-clark-wicks/