RIO SALADO COLLEGE PARTNERS WITH ISAAC SCHOOL DISTRICT

Slots in adult classes to learn English are a valuable commodity in the Isaac School District. There is often a long wait-list. But the waiting could be over as early as next spring.
A new community partnership between the Isaac Elementary School District and Rio Salado College will give adults in the Phoenix area expanded educational opportunities including the chance to learn English and earn their high school equivalency diploma (GED).
Rio Salado College will build a $3.7 million new Adult Learning Center at the David Kazan Family Education Center site in Phoenix.

Construction of the new facility is expected to begin this fall and be completed next spring. The 12,000-square-foot learning center will have a capacity of 300 plus and will include classrooms, computer labs, administrative offices and a community room.

The new facility will offer free adult basic education instruction including GED preparation classes and English Language Acquisition classes for adults. Rio Salado also plans to offer its ACE (Achieving a College Education) program at this site which helps students transition from GED classes to college courses and succeed once they are enrolled.

Although the Kazan Family Education Center currently offers some adult basic education classes and classes that teach community members to speak English, the center can’t meet the growing need. In fact, there are more students currently on the center’s wait-list to get into a class than are enrolled in the adult education programs.

”There is a tremendous demand for adult education in our area. We are very fortunate to have a partnership with Rio Salado,” said Isaac School District Superintendent Kent Scribner.
Students at the center may take classes to improve their basic reading, writing and math skills and also gain education to further their careers. Students will also be able to access Rio Salado’s 450 online courses and complete the 35 lower division Arizona General Education Curriculum college credits which transfer as a block to an Arizona public university.

“This unique partnership will enhance and increase adult educational programming for the community, and place education within the reach of those who strive to build a better life for themselves and their families,” said Rio Salado College Vice President Chris Bustamante.
Rio Salado College is one of the largest providers of ABE classes in Arizona with more than 10,000 students enrolled in 25 sites throughout Maricopa. Sites offer a variety of programs and classes including the Monterrey Tech Program, a program where students whose primary language is Spanish receive basic computer instruction. There is also Rio Salado’s Transition Program. Students in the program receive information and academic guidance along with scholarship support as they transition into post-secondary opportunities within the Maricopa Community College District.

“This center is really a beginning for a lot of people to pursue higher education that have never had the chance or weren’t successful before,” said Bustamante.
Rio Salado College was established in 1978 to provide active, working adults with flexible education opportunities. Rio Salado College serves more than 60,000 students annually in credit and non-credits classes. The college, which is one of the ten Maricopa Community Colleges, offers degrees and career and technical certificates in business, computer technology, early childhood and teacher education, healthcare, law enforcement and more. For registration or more information call 480-517-8540 or go to www.riosalado.edu/registration.