Seniors at four Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) will get a chance to take multiple dual credit classes on a college campus for free next school year. A $79,000 Bridge Grant from the Rotary Club of Louisville to Jefferson Community and Technical College (JCTC) will pay for 10 students from each of four schools - The Academy@Shawnee, Doss, Iroquois, and Western High Schools - to attend four classes on the JCTC Southwest campus one day each week. The new program begins next school year.
The grant will pay the students’ tuition costs that aren’t covered by the state’s Dual Credit Scholarship program and give the 40 students a textbook allowance. It will also pay for the students’ transportation to the college campus.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for these students,” said Dr. Marty Pollio, JCPS Superintendent. “This program removes barriers for bright students to access more dual credit classes and enjoy the experience of being on a college campus. We can’t thank the Rotary Club of Louisville and JCTC enough for making this available to our students.”
Another new JCTC/JCPS program funded by the Rotary Club of Louisville is called Jefferson Scholars. It will help students at six schools who are taking dual credit math and English courses at their own school building. Currently, the state’s Dual Credit Scholarship program covers the cost for juniors and seniors to take up to two dual credit courses each year. The student must foot the bill for any courses beyond two. However, beginning next school year with Iroquois and Western High School students and continuing the next two years with Doss, Shawnee, Pleasure Ridge Park and Valley High School students, JCTC will use the grant money to cover a student’s third dual credit math or English class.
"Access to college courses while still in high school is incredibly instrumental in helping students explore their academic and professional interests earlier on and are proven to ease the transition from high school to college”, said Amber Yocum, Dual Credit A2C Program Facilitator for JCTC. “With these two grants, we are excited to expand that access to more students in our community. We are incredibly thankful for the Rotary and looking forward to continuing our partnership with JCPS."