THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 21, 1996 TAG: 9604200129
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VANEE VINES, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
The Portsmouth School Board unanimously voted last week to investigate a partnership with a private company as part of an effort to give vocational students more real-world training opportunities.
One of the first companies the administration will contact is ice cream manufacturer Ben & Jerry's. Based in Vermont, Ben & Jerry's has about a half-dozen ice cream shops that are run by non-profit groups, a company spokesman said Friday. The groups keep the profits, he said, but they must operate in the black.
Board members said the main idea is to have a company set up shop in Portsmouth, where city students would then work. Such a move also could bring extra dollars to district coffers.
A handful of districts across the country have taken a similar step. In some districts, the businesses themselves keep profits but allow students to manage and operate the franchise for academic credit. In other places, students earn wages.
Board members Louise ``Sis'' Walden and Mary L. Curran, both local businesswomen, have urged the board to check out the idea.
At their meeting Thursday, board members approved a letter that will be mailed to various firms.
The district ``is seeking a national franchise relationship to provide a more relevant training and practical application of needed work skills,'' the letter states, in part. `` . . . We realize that in order to have more realistic training, more job placements for our students and to provide a service to our community, Portsmouth Public Schools need to be more innovative.''
The Portsmouth Public Schools Foundation, which raises money for city schools, and the education committee of the local Chamber of Commerce have given the idea a thumbs-up.
The board will now wait to see who bites.
The Portsmouth School Board unanimously voted last week to investigate a partnership with a private company as part of an effort to give vocational students more real-world training opportunities.
One of the first companies the administration will contact is ice cream manufacturer Ben & Jerry's. Based in Vermont, Ben & Jerry's has about a half-dozen ice cream shops that are run by non-profit groups, a company spokesman said Friday. The groups keep the profits, he said, but they must operate in the black.
Board members said the main idea is to have a company set up shop in Portsmouth, where city students would then work. Such a move also could bring extra dollars to district coffers.
A handful of districts across the country have taken a similar step. In some districts, the businesses themselves keep profits but allow students to manage and operate the franchise for academic credit. In other places, students earn wages.
Board members Louise ``Sis'' Walden and Mary L. Curran, both local businesswomen, have urged the board to check out the idea.
At their meeting Thursday, board members approved a letter that will be mailed to various firms.
The district ``is seeking a national franchise relationship to provide a more relevant training and practical application of needed work skills,'' the letter states, in part. `` . . . We realize that in order to have more realistic training, more job placements for our students and to provide a service to our community, Portsmouth Public Schools need to be more innovative.''
The Portsmouth Public Schools Foundation, which raises money for city schools, and the education committee of the local Chamber of Commerce have given the idea a thumbs-up.
The board will now wait to see who bites. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Curran
Walden
by CNB