CMT Core Group Meeting - April 7, 2011

Core Group CMT Meeting Minutes Thursday, April 7 Updates Janet – Vocational Rehabilitation Janet is still spending quite a bit of time travelling to and from Kalispell. Dalayna Hillis is the new Blind/Low Vision counselor at the office in Missoula. The Kalispell office is fully staffed, and Voc Rehab has added some support staff in Missoula. Jim – Human Resource Council The HRC is waiting for congressional action on several discretionary programs. The changes have potential to have a big impact on working families. Renters could be eligible for energy assistance through LIEAP, they need to apply before April 30th to have their energy bills for the past winter considered. Contact the HRC in Missoula for more information. Monique – Lifelong Learning Center The Even Start is no longer funded. The Even Start program had not had any increases in funding in 15 years of operation. Monique has put in a request to run the program through the end of September. The program leaves behind an incredible early education classroom, and Monique is in the process of getting information to make the best decision on what will be done with the classroom. Adult Basic Education funding is still sitting in legislative limbo. The Lifelong Learning Center is in the process of evaluating their orientation and entry process for ABE, to increase effectiveness and get students into the classroom as quickly and effectively as possible. They are looking at possible restructuring of the program. Some of the most popular classes at LLC recently have been: Beekeeping, Zumba, and Raising Chickens. LLC is working on new collaborations with Frenchtown, Target Range, and Hellgate Elementary to offer fee based classes at those locations. Michelle – Child Care Resources Child care funding is also in limbo right now. All market rates and provider rates are frozen. There is a waiting list for CCR, and 2002 was the last time there was a waiting list for child care services. They recently hired a Development Director, she has been working to obtain grants and diversify funds. United Way has allowed CCR to reapply for funds, for the first time in 3 years. United Way has about $600K to give out, and has more than $800K in applications. CCR is running on a shorter staff. They are still working on the transition of two major problems to Great Falls, including the Provider Referral service. Lynn – College of Technology The legislature will determine the outcome of the efforts to build a new COT. The request is the culmination of more than 6 years of planning. Enrollments are high; people are making decisions to come to school. The retention piece is very important. Some industrial programs already have waiting lists for the fall. The Hamilton/Bitterroot program and faculty is growing. The COT is being cautious about new programming. A course and program review will be conducted during the fall semester to determine what gets funded and what programs end. The COT is expecting a national accreditation for their RN program. They are also waiting to hear back on their respiratory care program to see if it will be nationally accredited. They will be posting an opening for an Outreach Director, this job will combine some grant writing and outreach in the community. Wolf – Job Service WIA funding is zeroed out in the national budget; the TAA ends next June as does the Timber OJT. Job Service is being careful with staffing. They are also looking at hosting a few exchange students from Germany. Wolf will be going back to Washington DC at the end of the month with the Career Pathways team. Job orders are up, with 328 jobs posted as of Wednesday the 6th. The Job Service is working to build expertise in industry clusters. Lynn from the Job Service has started to learn more information about healthcare careers. Next Meeting Our next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 5th at Job Service.