Education

Providing a challenging education in a safe environment for all students so they will become productive, responsible, and successful members of our diverse society, is the goal of Sedalia School District #200, which serves children in Sedalia and a portion of the county.  District enrollment for the 2008-2009 School year was 4,532.

Within the district are five elementary schools (K-4), one middle school (5-6), one junior high (7-9), and one high school (10-12).  The district also offers an alternative learning environment for middle school students on their school premises and for high school students at Whittier High School.  In addition, the Sedalia School District administers the Pettis County Early Childhood Cooperative (Co-op).  The Co-op is a collaborative effort among the six public school districts in Pettis County.  It provides Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) and Parents As Teachers (PAT) services for over 1,400 children each year.

In 1994-96, the Sedalia Middle School was designated a national Blue Ribbon award winner.  An accreditation with Distinction in Performance was awarded to the district for the 2004-05 school year.  In May of 2006, a total of 262 students graduated from Smith-Cotton High School.  Members of the class of 2006 were eligible for more than $2.3 million in scholarships.  The A+ high school program had 79 graduates who had contributed over 8,500 hours of volunteer tutoring during their high school years.  A+ graduates are eligible for 2 years of state paid tuition at Missouri Community Colleges.

In accordance with the Outstanding Schools Act of 1993, the state of Missouri is implementing new performance-based assessment procedures for Missouri students. The state has adopted the assessment package called the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP).  In order to meet the needs of all students, the school district has adopted the Terra Nova Test Series as the companion to the MAP, and has implemented “wrap-around” testing, which incorporates portions of both tests.  Overall, Sedalia School District 200 students scored significantly above the national average on all content areas assessed.  A newly adopted curriculum is expected to assist in improving test scores.

In addition to District 200 Schools, Pettis County has four elementary/high schools and one elementary school.

Sedalia’s customized training program allows new and existing industries to take advantage of all state and federal funding by coordinating with one individual.

Sedalia’s one-stop system can make available all services of State Fair Community College, Division of Workforce Development, and the Missouri Valley Community Action Agency.

• Receive reimbursement for the costs of training your work force.

• Conduct training at the site of your choice (your plant, State Fair Community College, or other appropriate location).

• Use an instructor of your choice (employee, SFCC instructor, vendor, or other appropriate person).

• Create a training program that best fits your company’s needs.  Flexibility is a major strength of the program.

Missouri Customized Training

This program is funded through the Department of Economic Development Division of Workforce Development and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Industrial Training Division.  State Fair Community College administers these programs for industry in Sedalia and Pettis County.  Their Business & Technology Center will help develop the program, write the proposal, and monitor the reimbursement process. They can also assist with the development and delivery of the training.  Training eligible for consideration includes Classroom and On-the-Job Training.

Missouri Community College New Jobs Training Program

A tax abatement program for new and expanding companies that allows us to develop an up front training fund to train and retrain their workforce in order to maintain their quality and competitive positions in the marketplace.  State Fair Community College is the point of contact for this program.

Pettis County Training Consortium

In 1998 the Pettis County Training Consortium was organized through the Business & Technology Center of State Fair with support through Missouri’s Customized Training Program and the Sedalia/Pettis County Development Corporation.  It is designed to share common training needs between manufacturers.  A variety of non-credit training programs is available at no charge to employees of these companies.  Other people are welcome to participate at materials cost plus a small tuition fee.

Services

The following services are eligible for consideration in the training reimbursement programs but are also available for a fee.

Classroom Training

This involves training for groups of employees.  Training includes a wide variety of topics ranging from specific production skills to more general workplace skills.  Reimbursable costs for funded projects include instructor’s time, development time, and materials.  Training can be provided by your employees, SFCC instructors, or a Vendor of your choice.  Vendor training is particularly useful for those very specialized operations or equipment.
OJT (On-the-Job Training)
A competency-based way to train new employees while on the job and receive 50% reimbursement of their salaries.  Training periods extend up to 24 weeks based on the degree of skill required to successfully perform the job.

Training Materials Development

SFCC’s Business & Technology Center can help you develop computer-based training, videotape training, employee handbooks, training manuals, or other training aids to assist in training.

Employee Assessment

SFCC’s Assessment Center can assess new or existing employee skill levels using ACT WorkKeys (includes certified Job Profilers), MicroSoft Office User’s Specialist Certification, CAPS/COPS and COPES, Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test and other normed tests.

Satisfied Industrial Companies

Ask Them About Customized Training:

Hayes Lemmerz International, Gardner-Denver, International Multifoods, Waterloo Industries, Alcan Cable, Wire Rope Corporation of America, and Tyson Foods.