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CSG SOUTH UPDATE
South Carolina Announces Special Education Workforce Development
Greenville County Schools in South Carolina announced a new, unique partnership between its food and nutrition services and special education departments. Under the new program, special education students have the opportunity to earn their Culinary Employability Credential and School-Based Enterprise Training. The first group of students began training in August in the nine-week program. Greenville County hopes the partnership will serve as a national model for preparing students for success in the workplace. Although the program does not automatically lead to hiring, it gives special education students the chance to gain necessary workplace skills to acquire stable, living-wage jobs. The program will have six to nine students participating at a time at a state-of-the-art kitchen facility at Roper Mountain Science Center in Greenville.
The nine-week program will help students partially satisfy the 360 work hours that are required to obtain the employability credential. At the end of the program, participants may have another job at Roper Mountain, at their schools, or another location with a community partner, if they wish to do so. AL / AR / FL / GA / KY / LA / MO / MS / NC / OK / SC / TN / TX / VA / WV
Film Industry to Invest $409 Million in N.C. Projects
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper recently announced that film production companies are expected to invest a record $409 million in 2021. Combined, the projects will create more than 25,000 job opportunities within the film industry. Companies that film in the state are eligible for a 25% rebate through the North Carolina Film and Entertainment Grant, a bipartisan measure passed by the General Assembly in 2014. Under the grant, production companies must meet direct in-state spending requirements before qualifying for the rebate.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) is the first state police department in the country to have all officers certified in sensory-inclusive practices, according to an announcement from Gov. Kay Ivey. The training, provided by KultureCity, a Birmingham-based nonprofit organization, prepares officers for situations involving someone with sensory needs or those with invisible disabilities. State troopers, special agents with the Alabama Bureau of Investigations, communication officers, and all personnel within the ALEA driver license division received the training. Certified officers will be equipped with special sensory aids, and a decal will be placed on ALEA vehicles to show that an officer has been trained and certified.
Kentucky Legislative Research Commission Recognized for Tech Upgrades
The Kentucky Legislative Research Commission (LRC) was awarded the 2021 Legislative Staff Achievement Award from the National Association of Legislative Information Technology for a series of innovative tech upgrades that helped support the legislative branch, particularly during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The LRC installed HD screens in committee rooms, as well as cameras and equipment to improve videoconferencing and livestreaming. It also overhauled the voting system in the House of Representatives, allowing legislators to participate in chamber proceedings and cast votes from their offices, and oversaw the installation of new fiber optic cables in legislative areas.
Louisiana Mandates Kindergarten Enrollment
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards signed bipartisan legislation that will make kindergarten mandatory beginning during the 2022-23 school year. Under the law, children who turn 5 by Sept. 30 will be required to attend kindergarten. Parents of children who are 4 on the first day of school will have the option of holding their children back a year and enrolling them in kindergarten the following school year. Families also can comply with state law by home schooling their children in kindergarten.
Missouri to Spend $400 Million on Rural Broadband
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced the state will spend $400 million to increase high-speed internet in rural communities. The funding will come from the state’s share of the American Rescue Plan Act that passed in March 2021. The $400 million allocation follows an application from the Missouri Department of Economic Development for an additional $56 million from the National Telecommunications and Information Administrative Broadband Infrastructure Program. According to the Federal Communications Commission, approximately 400,000 Missourians in rural areas do not currently have access to high-speed internet.
