School Supt. Bryan Pruitt announced April 11 that there are plans for a collaborative project for industrial, maintenance, and pre-apprenticeship courses involving Eureka Springs, Berryville and Green Forest school districts in conjunction with Tyson Foods. Classes will be for juniors and seniors and take place at the armory building in Berryville. It’s a two-year program in which students spend a half-day there and the other half in school.
Pruitt said those in the program will continue to be enrolled in core subjects and participate in extracurricular activities. Courses will be converted to count toward electives for graduation.
There will be a presentation Monday, April 24, at 6 p.m., at the Community Center in Berryville for all three school boards.
Courses include refrigeration, robotics, welding, hydraulics, HVAC, electronics, plumbing and other skills to prepare students to enter the industrial workforce. Pruitt stated Tyson has hired students from similar programs at a starting wage of $14.75 per hour.
The three schools will pay for the teacher and a secretary. Tyson will pay to renovate the building and provide what the teachers need. Particulars of the shared financing is still being negotiated, as well as how many students from each school will participate.
Pruitt called the program an excellent opportunity for students, and said he hopes it will help to improve graduation rates. It might also be the first county wide program like this in Arkansas. He added that there will be night classes for adults.