Marksville signs agreement for RRCA program at Bethune Youth Center

The Marksville City Council has approved an agreement allowing Red River Charter Academy to conduct an after-school tutoring, homework assistance and recreation program at the city’s Mary Bethune Youth Center. Officers of the non-profit program called it a “win-win” for the community. while the Marksville city attorney expressed some concern about the public-private partnership for the program.

The program is called “Volunteer and Lead University,” or “VAL-U.”

Mayor John Lemoine signed the “memorandum of understanding” at the council’s Jan. 10 meeting, authorizing the program to operate in the center from 2-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday. VAL-U will not use the building on Friday-Sunday, giving the city an opportunity to rent the site for weekend events. The kick-off for the program was on Jan. 15, in conjunction with the city's Martin Luther King Day event at the youth center.

While the city is not obligated to provide any direct financial support for the program, it could incur additional expenses for utilities and possibly other “in-kind” services.

RRCA board member Pat Ours said the organization received a $25,000 grant from the Central Louisiana Community Foundation (CLCF) to provide the program.

VAL-U offers tutoring, homework assistance, music, recreation, character development and emotional health-related programs from now through May.

RRCA is not planning to continue running the program after this initial term. Ours said the RRCA proposed charter school for grades 6-8 hopes to be devoting its efforts to get ready to open in the 2018-19 school year -- if either the Avoyelles School Board or state Board of Elementary Education approve its charter application later this year.

Either the city or another non-profit group would have to step forward to run the program if RRCA does not “re-up” and seek funding for another year.

The services will be free to registered students. VAL-U is open to all children ages 8-18. The only exception will be for ACT prep and state End of Course test prep for high school students who are not registered in the program. A $10 fee will be charged for “walk-in” students to cover the additional cost of materials for the course. High school students who are registered and participating in the program will not be charged for those courses.

'WIN-WIN FOR EVERYONE'
“It will be a win-win for everyone -- if we can just get the number of volunteers we need,” Ours said. She asked for the city’s assistance in recruiting volunteers to work in various aspects of the program.

City Attorney Derrick Whittington said the program will have to be a “win-win,” with the city receiving something of at least equal value to its cost to support the program.

Ours pointed out that all equipment and supplies purchased with the grant will remain at the Bethune Center after the program ends. A stove, seven computers and operating supplies have been purchased for the program. A piano for the music program at the center has been received.

Washington said the receipt of those items helps to ease his concerns.

In addition to utility costs for the hours of operation for the program, the city also agreed to provide wi-fi access.

Councilwoman Mary Sampson said Media3 had provided internet access to only one classroom and said it could not provide internet throughout the building. The city cancelled the internet service.

AT&T offered to provide internet access to the entire building for the same cost as Media3 charged for access to only one classroom. The council approved contracting for that service.

WHAT CITY ENVISIONED
Lemoine said the program offered by RRCA is what Marksville envisioned when it attained grants to remodel the old Bethune High gym as a city youth center.

“I am glad you are coming forward to make this a reality,” he added.

City officials had expressed fears that Marksville would be unable to provide services and programs due to its budget woes and the city would have a beautiful, modern facility standing virtually unused, except for an occasional event.

RRCA’s receipt of the grant was welcome news when it was announced at the council’s meeting in November.

Stanley Celestine Jr. of Cottonport, a RRCA board member and student at McNeese State University, will be the program director.

Ours said the program’s goal is to provide a safe, secure, meaningful and fun learning environment for children.

“We don’t want children feeling like they are stepping out of one school and into another,” she said. There will be special clubs, including a robotics club that will teach students the science of robotics and allow them to build their own mechanisms. Celestine said all equipment and supplies will be secured in the building so as not to interfere with other uses or to pose the risk of theft.

WILL COLLECT DATA

Surveys will be conducted to gather data on whether the program is achieving its desired results, he noted. Ours said that information will be given to CLCF to show the grantor how its money was used. That report will also be shared with city officials.

If the data shows positive results in student achievement, behavior, youth crime rate reduction, etc., it could be used to secure additional grants after this year, Celestine said.

Ours said program organizers are bracing themselves for a low number of students in the first week or two, but are expecting more to sign up as word spreads. The real fear is that the number of students may be more than the adult volunteers can adequately serve.

“We would like to have one adult volunteer for every 10 children on site,” she said.

Volunteers don’t have to be educators or tutors, she said.

“We need people who can just observe students and be there for them,” she said. “We need someone who can stand behind a student at a computer and make sure they are working on their homework and not just Facebooking.”

The program also wants to be sure the adults don’t outnumber participants.

“Children get inhibited when there are too many adults around,” she said.

Volunteers also don’t have to be “grown-ups.” Ours said she has contacted several high school organizations seeking teenaged volunteers needing community service hours.

Ours said the bottom-line purpose of the program is “having a good time with the kids while teaching them as well.”