Grant for Shale Academy boosts student transportation

SALINEVILLE - More students are receiving rides to and from the Utica Shale Academy thanks to $900,000 in state rural transportation funds allocated in Ohio's biennial budget through the efforts of several local representatives to the state legislature.

Bill Watson, superintendent of the regional trade school, said the funding has made it possible to increase its fleet of eight-passenger vans from seven to 17, all used to transport about 138 students to and from school.

He expressed thanks to the following state legislators for securing the funds: state Sens. Brian Chavez, R-30th District, and Al Cutrona, R-33rd District; and state Reps. Ron Ferguson, R-96th District; Matthew Kishman, R-50th District; Tex Fischer, R-59th District; Monica Robb Blasdel, R-79th District; and Lauren McNally, D-58th District.

While based in Columbiana County, the school also serves students from Jefferson, Carroll, Mahoning and Stark counties.

Watson said the additional vans have been a boost for multiple reasons.

He said while some students got rides through public transportation or buses operated by local school districts, their schedules didn't always mesh with those who work after school.

Watson noted the vehicles also will serve as a teaching tool, with students charged with changing the vans' oil and tires and performing other routine maintenance on them under the supervision of a trained instructor.

The school is partnering with the Tire Industry Association to offer tire service certification to qualified students, adding another marketable skill for its future graduates.

This summer, a mechanical lift was installed for such tasks using a donation through the D.B. Dixon Trust for Diesel Mechanics and a portion of the Future Forward Schools Prize awarded recently to the school.

Funds from the D.B. Dixon Trust for Diesel Mechanics also will enable students to restore a forklift used for other classes.

"We're trying to be good stewards of the funds we have received while building student responsibility," said Watson.

Last year, Utica Shale Academy was awarded a $50,000 Future Forward Schools Prize by Building Hope and Britebound, two nonprofit organizations aimed at improving educational opportunities for youth across the nation.

Watson said the additional vehicles are part of an ongoing effort, begun a few years ago, to ease access for students in the largely rural area served by the school.

He said it's resulted in both better attendance and better test scores.

Watson said chronic absenteeism at the school has been reduced by 6.2 percent while the number of students who haven't undergone end of course proficiency testing has dropped from 14.7 percent to zero, with 9.3 percent more students demonstrating proficiency through the testing.

He's proud to say Utica Shale Academy now provides more than 1,300 industry-recognized credentials set by the National Coalition of Credential Centers, the National Center for Construction Education and Research, Universal Robots and Siemens.