LPN, welding programs expanding

BY PAT FARNELLI

The Susquehanna County Career and Technology Center’s school board approved expanding the new Licensed Practical Nursing program on Thursday, doubling the number of supervisors and moving ahead toward a bridge program from LPN to RN certification.

Work hours for four current LPN clinical supervisors at SCCTC were increase to 40 hours per week plus benefits, at $30 per hour. The job description for the positions was amended to include the changes.

Director Alice Davis said that the four supervisors had already been putting in more than 40 hours per week supervising the nursing students. The increase will go into effect December 1.

The board also approved advertising to hire four additional LPN clinical supervisors, two at 20 hours per week and two at 12 hours per week.

A combination LPN program/special projects secretary position was approved.

The next LPN class of 40 students will soon be starting, and the first class, which has had four or five students withdraw, will be graduating in July. At that time, the students should all be able to begin bridging into a Registered Nurse (RN) program. This will be offered at the SCCTC, in cooperation with the Luzerne County Community College and Mansfield University, with some classes available online in classes and others taught by college faculty at SCCTC.

The contract for services and facilities agreement with LCCC was approved by the board.

Davis said that the adult student tuition for the LPN program is bringing in $1 million per year, and that the expenditures for the program are $500,000, generating $500,000 in revenue for the career center.

The SCCTC welding program is also growing by leaps and bounds, said Superintendent William Bush. At this time, there are 30 students enrolled in the day program, and only 14 welding booths available.

The maximum number of students one teacher could comfortably instruct is 15 to 18, so Bush recommended hiring of at least one additional welding instructor. “There are 56 welding students if you include night classes,” he said.

The position will be posted.

A full time associate position was filled by the hiring of Anna Hatzos, who will be working with SCCTC students with IEPs at $8.90 per hour.

Lori Evans was appointed as an assistant SCCTC school board secretary, and will be available as a substitute for Jeanne Rogers.

The student-built house is still being advertised for sale. Sealed bids were accepted until Monday, Nov. 18.

Bush requested permission to apply for permits for the septic, foundation and driveway for the fourth SCCTC student-built house, to be built on the lot adjacent to the recently completed home.

He also requested permission to bid for contractors to install the septic, foundation and driveway, as soon as possible. The board approved both requests.

Several activity positions were approved by the board, as was a substitute list.

A contract was approved for an EPA Lead Renovator Course for a program conducted by SCCTC faculty in Broome County, N.Y.

This lead abatement program is part of the Broome County lead awareness program, and is taken by 15 students per month, every month.

Chuck Place attended the PSBA conference and said that it was filled with lively debate on several topics. He said that two speakers were particularly interesting to him: one was a Sandy Hook teacher; and the other was Captain Richard Philips who was taken hostage by Somali pirates in 2009.