New program to curb drop out rates at Louisville high school

New program to curb drop out rates at JCPS high school

By Natalia Martinez | November 12, 2015 at 6:00 PM EST - Updated July 25 at 4:35 AM

JCPS Superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens (Source: WAVE 3 News)

Integrity Staffing Solutions CFO Sean Montgomery (Source: WAVE 3 News)

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Only 72 percent of students at the Academy at Shawnee graduate. That's a striking number Jefferson County Public Schools officials say they want to erase.

"Our dropout rate is going down. But what we want it to be is zero," JCPS Superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens said.

With the help of a $30,000 check from Integrity Staffing Solutions, at risk students at Shawnee can now join the Jobs for America's Graduates, or JAG Program, to land help them a job after school.

"It's in our best interest to make sure that students are coming out of school ready for the workforce," Integrity Staffing Solutions CFO Sean Montgomery said on Thursday.

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Montgomery referred to students like Matthew Koprowski, who was about to become a dropout statistic. He went through the program in Jeffersonville, Indiana and now works at Ford.

"JAG helped me in such a way that, words cannot describe it," Koprowski said.

JAG is currently in 1,000 schools, colleges and learning centers across the country. The program at Shawnee is the first for JCPS. The program boasts a 93 percent graduation rate, compared to the national average of 81 percent.

"Every student has a purpose, something that in their life is meaningful, something that they can do and it's necessarily college, college is not the way to that," Hargens said.

The program teaches students everything from what types of jobs are available, to how to introduce yourself during an interview.

"I have a job, I can live comfortably, I can help my parents. JAG helped me so much," Koprowski said.

In addition to the check donated by Integrity Staffing Solutions, General Electric contributed an additional $5,000. Up to 45 students who attend Shawnee will be able to participate.