Many parolees struggle to find success because the transition from prison life to life after prison is difficult. One of their biggest challenges comes when applying for jobs and lacking a high school diploma or equivalent, which employers require. However, dozens of Sacramento County parolees now have an advantage in their job search.
Fifteen clients of the Sacramento Community Based Coalition (SCBC) walked across the stage at the Rosemont High School Performing Arts Center June 26 to receive their High School Equivalency Certificates. The clients earned these certificates after passing the General Educational Development (GED) test.
Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools David W. Gordon told the graduates, "By earning your certificates, you have empowered yourselves and given yourselves a chance to advance in life. I admire you for taking this opportunity because I know it has been a lot of hard work and study. I hope you look at this as the beginning of a new chapter, one that involves the future and all the possibilities it brings."
SCBC is a collaborative effort between the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and is specifically designed for men and women re-entering the community from state prison. The objective of the program is to address the needs of parolees at increased risk of violating their parole and/or returning to custody.
SCBC program participants are eligible to receive educational services that include literacy skills, Equivalency Certificates, high school diplomas, math skills, vocational training referrals, and substance abuse education. Participants include men and women on parole in Sacramento County who have been referred by their parole agent.
Superintendent Gordon announced that as of June, 101 SCBC clients have earned their GEDs since SCBC was launched in 2007.
The SCBC program applies the successful LINKS model, a groundbreaking SCOE career technical education model aimed at helping high-risk students succeed. Services are tailored to individual students based on their specific needs instead of through traditional, scripted education.
Additional awards were presented to graduates for special achievement, as well as to program alumni who served as mentors to the graduates. Assisting Superintendent Gordon and Assistant Superintendent Matt Perry, Ed.D., with the presentation of the High School Equivalency Certificates were Sacramento County Board of Education President Jacquelyn Levy and Trustees Eleanor L. Brown, Ed.D, and Greg Geeting.
For more information about SCBC, call (916) 228-3330.