Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2021
‘Construction Ready 9 training program expands to
Barrow in attempt to address workforce skills gap
The Construction Educa
tion Foundation of Georgia
(CEFGA) recently brought
its 20-day “Construction
Ready” program to Barrow
County with recent high
school graduates receiving
instruction.
Participants received
training, industry recog
nized certificates and job
placement, according to a
news release. The Barrow
training was hosted by Sims
Academy for Innovation
and Technology in part
nership with the Barrow
County School System and
Foothills Education Charter
High School.
The class included nine
recent area high school
graduates who earned the
following eight certificates:
•National Center for Con
struction Education and
Research (NCCER) Core
Credential
•OSHA 10-Hour Card
•First Aid/CPR/BB/AED
Certification
•Powder Actuated Tool
Certification
•Laser Tool Certification
•Forklift Safety Aware
ness
•A.T.S.S.A. Utility Flag
ger Certification
•Competent Person Train
ing in Fall Protection
“Construction Ready is a
fine example of why Sims
Academy exists for Barrow
County and our entire re
gion,” Sims Academy CEO
Dale Simpson said in the
release. “This is a perfect
example of how we can
leverage partnerships and
innovation for the better
ment of our students and
community.”
The expansion of Con
struction Ready into north
east Georgia is part of a ma
jor growth of the program
across the state, financed
in part by the Governor’s
Emergency Education Re
lief (GEER) fund (a part of
the federal the CARES Act).
In August 2020, Gov. Brian
Kemp announced CEFGA
was selected to receive $3.3
million to expand the Con
struction Ready program.
The GEER funding sup
ports important education
and workforce training to
help Georgians move past
the coronavirus pandemic,
officials said.
Since 2014, CEFGA
through the Construction
Ready program has trained
more than 1,200 workers of
all ages for careers in con
struction and had seen some
successes, according to the
release. Officials noted a
97% job placement rate by
the end of training with an
average starting salary of
$12-15 an hour, with 70%
of the program’s partici
pants still with their same
employer after one year.
“We are excited to expand
the Construction Ready
program and support re
cent high school graduates.”
said CEFGA president and
CEO Scott Shelar. “There
are construction jobs in the
midst of this pandemic, and
we need Georgians trained
and certified to fill those po
sitions across the state.”
The goal of the Con
struction Ready program
is to help close an ongoing
workforce skills gap, lead
ers said. The Nationwide
Workforce Initiative found
in a study that for every five
people that retire from the
skilled professions, there is
only one apprentice to fill
the job, according to the re
lease. In 2019, the lack of
skilled workers in Georgia
was calculated to be more
than 61,000 workers.
“It’s great to see CEF
GA allocating Georgia’s
GEER funding to recent
high school graduates
who can benefit from the
Construction Ready pro
gram.” Kemp said in the
release. “These are chal
lenging times for our state,
but we will continue to
work around the clock to
support our students with
workforce training, im
prove outcomes, and get
hardworking Georgians
back to work.”
More information on the
Construction Ready pro
gram and CEFGA can be
found by visiting https://
cefga.org.
More information about
Sims Academy can be
found by visiting http://
www.simsacademyit.org.
Barrow Co. schools aim to bridge “homework gap” through federal funding
By Morgan Ervin
For the Barrow News-Journal
The Barrow County School Sys
tem aims to provide Dell Chrome-
books and at-home mobile hotspots
to students who currently lack access
to the devices and services they need
to complete assignments from home.
But that will be contingent upon fed
eral funding.
This summer, the district sent out
a comprehensive survey to families
to identify need. Out of the 5.273
responses received, 4,575 students
identified as needing a device for
home use and 1,395 students iden
tified as needing adequate internet
access, representing 779 households.
Both purchases would be funded
by the $7.17 billion FCC Emergency
Connectivity Fund Program (ECF),
established by the American Rescue
Plan Act of 2021. The ECF was de
signed to help close the nationwide
“homework gap,” which refers to
the inequity of millions of students
who lack proper internet access from
home.
The county school board’s approv
al Tuesday to pursue the program is
the first step in the process, said John
St. Clair, the district’s director of
technology. He said the district will
file the request this week in advance
of the Aug. 13 deadline, and the tim
ing for application review and award
distribution by the FCC remains un
known. The district is not guaranteed
to receive any funding.
For the Dell Chromebooks, the
ECF allocates $400 for each device
with the district responsible for pick
ing up any cost above $400. Using
ECF and CARES Act funds, the
district’s initial purchase of 4,575
Chromebooks at $423.07 per de
vice would total $1,935,545.25.
ECF would fund $1,830,000 and
CARES would cover the remaining
$105,545.25.
Devices purchased under the pro
gram would be property of the school
district but must be assigned to the
specific students identified as needing
devices to take home for school use.
The district would be purchasing the
Chromebooks from Dell in Rolling
Rock. Texas.
For the internet access program,
the ECF allocates $250 per device
of upfront costs with an undefined
monthly cost limit expected to be
in the $25 range. Since the district
would assume responsibility of man
aging the home internet service, it has
elected AT&T mobile hotspot, which
officials said has good coverage in
Barrow County, meets the cost limita
tions provided by ECF and has a sim
pler model for deployment of devices
with decent internet speeds.
For each household, the AT&T
mobile hotspot would cost $84.99 up
front with a monthly service charge of
$ 12 for one year, which totals $228.99
per household for the first year. The
cost would total $144 per household
for years two and beyond, contingent
upon ECF funding availability.
Serving 779 households, the costs
for mobile hotspot access comes to a
total of $178,383.21 for year one and
$112,176 for years two and beyond, if
funded. AT&T mobile hotspot access
would be funded entirely with fed
eral ECF funds with no contractual
obligation or financial expense to the
district.
During the duration of the pro
gram, it is possible there may be sub
sequent filing opportunities to add
additional families in need. Although
the FCC has provided few details on
the longevity of the program, it has
been published that if the initial fund
ing of the program is not exhausted in
the first wave of filings, another wave
is likely.
In addition to authorizing pursuit of
the two programs, during its meeting
July 27, the county school board vot
ed to authorize additional Chrome-
book purchases through Sept. 30 for
a maximum total cap of $850,000,
which will be funded from various
sources.
“I want to make sure every family
in this county has an opportunity to
take advantage of this,” board mem
ber Lynn Stevens said.
But in addition to having to wait
until likely late August or early Sep
tember to find out if it will be award
ed the federal grant money, the dis
trict will still have to contend with
ongoing global technology shortages
and shipping delays. St. Clair said he
doesn’t anticipate receiving the devic
es any earlier than October and that it
could be 2022 before they arrive.
“If all parties move very quickly,
and we are awarded in August and or
der in August, we might get device in
September, but I am not counting on
that,” St. Clair wrote in an email.
City of Auburn 2021 Qualifying Fee and Election Notice
Pursuant to O.C.G.A §21 -2-131 (a)( 1), the governing authority of the City of Auburn
announces the following qualifying fees for the local offices to be filled in the
2021 Municipal General Election:
OFFICE FEE
Council Member [To Succeed Robert L. Vogel (III) $144.00
Council Member (To Succeed Bill Ackworth) $144.00
The qualifying period will be: Monday, August 16, 2021 - Thursday, August 19, 2021
from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm and Friday, August 20, 2021 from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm at the
Auburn City Hall located at 1369 Fourth Avenue in Auburn.
The Municipal General Election will be held on Tuesday, November 2, 2021 at Hmong
New Hope Alliance Church, 1622 Union Grove Church Rd. Auburn, GA 30011. If a
Runoff is necessary, it will be held at the same location on Tuesday, November 30, 2021.
The polling location will be open from 7:00 am until 7:00 pm
The Voter Registration deadline to be eligible to vote in the City of Auburn Election is
October 4, 2021.
If you wish to vote by Absentee Ballot contact the Election Office at 770-307-3110.
Applications for an absentee ballot will be accepted August 16, 2021 - October 22, 2021.
No applications will be accepted or processed after 4:00 pm on October 22. No ballots
will be issued after the close of business on October 22, 2021. A voted absentee ballot
must be returned to the Elections Office no later than 7:00 pm on Tuesday, November 2,
2021.
Advance Voting will be October 12 -16, 2021 from 9:00am to 5:00pm, October 18 - 23,
2021 from 9:00am to 5:00pm, and October 25 - 29, 2021 from 9:00am to 5:00pm at the
Barrow County Elections Office located at 233 E. Broad St. Winder.
Ciudad de Auburn 2021 Qualifying Fee y Aviso de Elecciones
De conformidad con OCGA §21-2-131 (a) (1), la autoridad de gobiemo de la Ciudad de
Auburn anuncia los siguientes cargos de calificacion para las oficinas locales que deben
completarse en el 2021 Eleccion General Municipal:
OFICINA
CUOTA
Miembro del Consejo (para tener exito Robert L. Vogel (III)
$ 144.00
Miembro del Consejo (para tener exito Bill Ackworth)
$ 144.00
El periodo de calificacion sera: lunes 16 de agosto de 2021 - jueves 19 de agosto de 2021
de 8:30a.m. hasta la 4:30p.m. y viemes 20 de agosto de 2021 de 8:30a.m. hasta la
12:30p.m. en el Ayuntamiento de Auburn ubicado en 1369 Fourth Avenue en Auburn. La
Ciudad debe calificar por un minimo de tres dias consecutivos pero no mas de cinco dias
y no comenzara antes de las 8:30a.m. de ese lunes, pero finalizara no mas tardar de las
4:30p.m. el viemes siguiente.
Las elecciones generales municipals se llevaran a cabo el martes 2 de noviembre de
2021 en la iglesia Hmong New Hope Alliance, 1622 Union Grove Church Rd. Auburn,
GA 30011. Si es necesaria una segunda vuelta, se llevara a cabo en el mismo lugar el
martes 30 de noviembre de 2021. El lugar de votacion estara abierto de 7:00a.m. hasta la
7:00p.m.
La fecha llmite para el registro de votantes para ser elegible para votar en las elecciones
de la ciudad de Auburn es el 4 de octubre de 2021.
Si desea votar por voto ausente, comuniquese con la Oficina electoral al 770-307-3110.
Las solicitudes de voto en ausencia seran aceptadas del 16 de agosto de 2021 al 22 de
octubre de 2021. No se aceptaran ni procesaran solicitudes despues de las 4:00 p.m. del
22 de octubre. No se emitiran papeletas despues del cierre de los negocios el 22 de
octubre de 2021. Una boleta de ausencia votada debe ser devuelta a la Oficina electoral a
mas tardar a las 7:00 pm del martes 2 de noviembre de 2021.
La votacion anticipada sera del 12 al 16 de Octubre de 2021 de 9:00 a.m. a 5:00 p.m., del
18 al 23 de Octubre de 2021 de 9:00 a.m. a 5:00 p.m., y del 25 al 29 de Octubre de 2021
de 9:00 a.m. a 5:00 p.m. en la Oficina de Elecciones del Condado de Barrow ubicada en
233 E. Broad St. Winder.
GATEWAY GARDENS
Assisted Living & Memory Care
Offering Private Suites, Deluxe Private
and Companion Suites
Assisted Living • Memory Care • Respite Care
Our goal is to ensure our residents are comfortable,
safe and secure in an environment
that feels like home.
We are here for you and your loved ones.
Assisted Living starting at $2,995.00
Memory Care starting at $3,995.00
470-747-5790
138 Gateway Lane
Bethlehem, GA 30620