25 Jul Two Wichita Learning Connection centers to open to help former students get diplomas
Two Wichita Learning Connection centers to open to help former students get diplomas
By Carrie Rengers
Published by The Wichita Eagle
WICHITA — The South Central Kansas Education Service Center is opening two new sites in Wichita.
“What we do is we try to provide … cost-effective ways to provide education services to school districts,” says executive director Brad Pepper.
The south-central branch, which is based in Clearwater, serves 28 school districts and is one of seven education service centers in Kansas.
The center provides services such as integrating technology in classrooms, helping further professional development and arranging for reduced-rate equipment.
“Basically, if there’s a need that a school district has, we’ll provide that service,” Pepper says.
“They’re school districts without students,” is how he describes the centers.
At least that’s generally the case.
The two new Wichita sites will be part of a network of Wichita Learning Connection centers around the state that offer degree completion programs.
Pepper says the center partners with local school districts to help former students age 18 and older receive their high school diplomas.
“It’s an actual high school diploma,” Pepper says. He says that can carry more weight in the career world than a GED.
“We’re kind of targeting the Hispanic population,” Pepper says.
He says there’s a higher drop-out rate in that community, though Wichita Learning Connection is open to anyone.
One site will be in 1,550 square feet in New Leaf Plaza, formerly theMarina Lakes shopping center, at 21st and Amidon.
The other will be in 2,200 square feet at Parklane Shopping Center at Lincoln and Oliver.
Aug. 13 is the official opening date for both centers.
Don Piros of Landmark Commercial Real Estate handled the deal at New Leaf Plaza.
Dennis Fitzroy of Builders Inc. handled the Parklane deal.
There are similar programs in Pratt, Rose Hill, Andover, El Dorado, Clearwater and Mulvane. Topeka has two as well.
Whether Wichita gets any other new ones depends, Pepper says.
“If it happens to take off, we may expand,” he says. “The goal is to serve as many students as we can.”
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