Shasta College submitted an application on April 29th for a competitive grant through the Office of Public School Construction in collaboration with North State Together. This grant program is the result of the 2021 Budget Act which allocated $250 Million to the Department of General Services and is being administered through the Foundation for California Community Colleges. The focus of the grant is to promote K-16 education collaboratives that create streamlined pathways from high school to postsecondary education and into the workforce. Using innovative and creative approaches, North State Together will increase outcomes through ingenuity and bold systems transformation.
On Tuesday, May 24th, Shasta College, as lead agency representing the North State California Economic Recovery Fund region, was announced as an awardee of the Regional K-16 Education Collaboratives Grant Program! North State Together, sponsored by the Shasta College Foundation, is named the convener and will be allocated this award to carry out the goals of the grant. This $18.13 Million award will enable North State Together to expand the scope of its collective impact work across our entire North State region, adding Lassen, Butte, Sierra, Plumas, and Glenn counties to its original 5-county network and strengthen partnerships with College of the Siskiyous, Butte-Glenn Community College District, Feather River College, California State University, Chico and University of California, Davis.
North State Together a cross-sector group of partners representing education, business, community organizations, and local government, strives to improve the economic and personal lives of community members that live and work in rural Northern California. Together, we are building inclusive, supportive pathways that are responsive to local needs and retain the talent in our region by sharing resources, centering equitable strategies, promoting sustainability, and building lasting partnerships across sectors and geography.
Strategy and Pathways
North State Together will leverage the Regional K-16 Education Collaborative to create occupational pathways that include accelerated degree/credential programs and work-based learning opportunities in healthcare and education within its 10-county network. The primary strategy of the K-16 Education Collaborative is to:
· Support college preparation and early credit;
· Retain students through inclusive supports;
· Implement high-tech, high-touch advising, and;
· Cultivate inclusive, engaging, and equity-oriented learning environments in education systems across the North State region.
The work North State Together will do through this collaborative exemplifies Shasta College’s leadership in the North State. It also affirms our college’s vision as a nationally recognized model community college, leading within and outside of our community college district with innovative and creative approaches to increase student outcomes through ingenuity and bold systems transformation. I would like to thank all who contributed significant time and effort to ensure the success of the K-16 grant application, in addition to the community partners that have worked alongside NST to promote collective impact and align our region with this opportunity.
North State Together would like to the thank our current county network teams, the five new counties who signed on to scale our successful cradle to career collective impact model, SCAILE, our amazing regional grant writing team, and all of the collaborative partners who wrote letters committing to creating a better future for our region. All of you made this grant application a success! We look forward to supporting you to create streamlined, equitable pathways from high school to postsecondary education and into the workforce.
