Latest news with #RonyOrtega
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Siouxland schools revamp GTL program
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — An agreement between Wayne State College, Northeast Community College, and South Sioux City Community School will help students participate in the district's Gateway to Learning Program. The alternative high school is designed to support students who may have challenges within a traditional school setting. The project helps students succeed, but positions the program to help even more high school students. 'We couldn't be more excited to have our alternative education students relocate to a college center where, every day, they walk through the doors of a college center and have greater access to pursue their post-high school plans. And so that is a game changer for our kids, and we couldn't be more excited,' said the superintendent of South Sioux City Schools, Dr. Rony Ortega. Local college officials say the partnership with the school district will assist in enhancing their current offerings for their programs. 'It just makes perfect sense that we use our resources efficiently and we remove those barriers, the barriers of space, the barriers of access in this process,' said Janet Lebeza of Wayne State College. The existing GTL program is currently housed at 1000 West 29th Street. At the college center, the program will have 5 rooms and a corridor. President of Northeast Community College, r. Leah Barrett, said 'to be able to come here as high school students and then just in the flip of a switch, get to be here as a college student, taking classes and finding a way to really learn what they want to do and what they want to live their life doing.' Story continues below Top Story: Recent incident at Sac County Jail highlights need for new facility Lights & Sirens: Suspect shot at during pursuit in stolen vehicle, Dakota Co Sheriff says Sports: Champions Chat: West Sioux boys soccer Weather: Get the latest weather forecast here Barrett also said that while the arrangement of the program with colleges might seem new, this isn't the first time this style of partnership has been implemented. In the press release, she said, 'Welcoming the GTL program to the College Center is a great step to building pathways to higher education for young people who may not have been college-bound. The students will have the benefit of stepping into a college facility every day for high school classes as well as multiple opportunities to participate in dual enrollment courses from Northeast and Wayne State.' The students in the new GTL high school will have new opportunities, one of which is welding. According to the release, the students will take welding and general education courses at the College Campus and finish their remaining high school requirements on Fridays or outside of the typical school day. Students will have access to tuition-free content because of Northeast's free Early College program. Students will be responsible for their own textbooks, course fees, and tools. And, according to the release, this is where the new partnership needs assistance. Students may need help paying for textbooks, course fees, and tools. The director of the South Sioux City Extended Campus said that students who participate will graduate in May with a high school diploma and a welding diploma. She also said, 'We do not want these expenses to be a barrier to students, and therefore we are committed to securing sponsorships and in-kind donations to ensure a successful launch.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
South Sioux City School Board approves special election on $127M school bond
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — The South Sioux City School Board unanimously approved a resolution Wednesday night to hold a special election on a proposed $127M school bond. The special election is set for May 13, 2025. The bond will need to receive a simple majority of support to pass. Sioux City schools names 2024-2025 Teacher of the Year If the measure passes, the funding will go toward building a new intermediate center for fifth and sixth graders, a new K-4 building, and a new pre-K building, along with making safety, security and accessibility improvements at the district's other schools. Superintendent for South Sioux City Community Schools Dr. Rony Ortega told KCAU 9 that this investment in district infrastructure is long overdue. 'It feels like sometimes we're days away from something happening at our 100-year-old building,' Ortega said. 'We have a cast-iron pipe that is crumbling as we speak, and so there is a sense of urgency. It's been 25 years since we had any large capital improvement projects done here, and so it's timely. There's a sense of urgency and we think the time to act is now.' Fifth graders receive pieces of history from Sertoma Club The special election comes following a year-long effort from school officials to educate the community about the infrastructure issues the district is facing, including through the series of five 'Cardinal Vision' workshops. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
