Bernalillo County, in New Mexico, has allocated $95,000 to Highland High School’s new Auto Body Certification Program, according to a news release.
Through a community assessment, Highland discovered that students had a specific interest in the auto body career path. Highland sought community partnerships to assist in creating and implementing an out-of-school time program to support this student-identified career path.
One of these partnerships is with the ABC Community School Partnership, a unique collaboration among Bernalillo County, the City of Albuquerque, UNM, United Way, Albuquerque Teachers Federation, the business community, the Hispano Chamber of Commerce, and APS. This partnership supports a network of 75 community schools in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County.
The county, as a member of the ABC Community School Partnership, has agreed to allocate $95,000 to help pay for two auto body instructors and for students to test for certification after completing the class.
Students will also receive a stipend for participating in the program. Implementation will start with an 18-week pilot program, followed by a 36-week program beginning in the fall.
“We are acting in response to the voices of students, parents, and teachers who have expressed their needs and wants,” said Deanna Creighton, interim director of the community school innovation and strategic partnerships department. “This is just one example of the many ways the ABC Community School Partnership is supporting the needs of our community schools and preparing these students for future careers.”
