At a time when most school districts no longer have adult or alternative education, the program at Plainwell Community Schools is not only thriving at home, it is reaching students even outside of Allegan County.
In December, the Plainwell program graduated its first student from its Hastings Campus in Barry County.
Hastings formerly had its own adult ed/GED program, but closed it down in 2013. In 2016, Plainwell Community Schools expanded its contract to include Barry County and began a summer program to test the level of interest.
Director Tammy Glupker said there are now a total of 23 students enrolled.
Glupker said one of the biggest hurdles students in the program face is the lack of access to tutoring and academic support outside of the classroom.
A recent state grant of more than $9,000 will help provide for a new staff member to travel off-site to students’ homes and other locations for further tutoring to help alleviate that burden.
“The grant would pay for a Home and Community Outreach Coordinator that would serve students in need from both our Plainwell and Hastings locations,” Glupker said.
To be eligible for the program, the student must be over 18 and their graduation year must have already passed.
Currently, there are only 32 adult ed/GED programs in 13 West Michigan counties.
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