Region 5 End of Year Report 2011

REGION 5 – End of the Year Report – May 2011

Paul Salamy

Montgomery County Correctional Facility – Sheldon Novotny reported that one GED test was given this past year with 100% passing. Two courses have proven to be very successful: Computer Graphics and Stress Management. They are both offered by Lynn Trudeau.  Speakers from Cooperative Extension spoke to the inmates on Money Management and Nutrition/Health Education.

Oneida County Correctional Facility - This year the Oneida County Correctional Facility has seen many changes.  A new Sheriff, Under Sheriff, Chief, Captain, and Programs Coordinator have all been sworn in.  SMART Boards have been installed in both classrooms.  A Regional meeting took place in the fall hosted by the BOCES Staff at the correctional facility. The Second Start Program offered transitional services/programs for incarcerated youth. Representatives from Mohawk Valley Community College spoke to all interested students regarding the step-by-step process of applying to college. MVCC also offered a 3 credit college course: Gateway to Business. More than twenty inmates took part in this course. The GED was given to a total of twenty-five incarcerated youth.  Twenty-one incarcerated youth passed the test. Passing rate: 84%.  Summer School Program is being offered to the incarcerated youth.

Adult Education reports that since April 2010, twelve adults were tested and all twelve earned their GED. Passing rate: 100%. Madison-Oneida BOCES has also approved evening ESL and evening Adult Ed instruction at OCJ.  Due to a generous patron, over 1200 books of all genres have been donated to start an Adult Library. Adult Summer School will also be offered this year.   

Madison County Correctional Facility - The passing rate for the GED at Madison County is 100%.  The staff reports that two programs have proven to be very successful: ADAPT and Parenting.

Fulton County Correctional Facility – Rich Carley has a new teacher on his staff this year. Marcello Bianco comes to the jail with ten years experience in Alternative Education. This past year, Marty Smith retired after almost twenty years of service at the jail as well as serving several years as Region 5 Representative to the NYSAIEP Board. Seven inmates have taken the GED this past year with a 100% passing rate.  Several students returned to their respective High Schools this past year. While incarcerated, they not only received academic instruction, they also took part in Parenting, Keyboarding, and Conflict Resolution classes. Cooperative Education taught four classes in both Finances and Nutrition.

Herkimer County Correctional Facility -  Jessica Murphy-Armstrong reports that the boarding out of inmates still continues to hinder her programs progress. She is not giving the GED test at this time.  She prepares and registers people for testing on the outside.  More people are transitioning from classes in the jail to those on the outside, especially through the Literacy Zone and Project Reconnect programs. Jessica reports that there has been an increase in sharing between herself and fellow Region 5 colleagues.  She states that she and Rich Carley (Fulton County) have made arrangements for students who “bounce between programs to continue their studies fairly seamlessly and avoid unnecessary duplicate testing”. Corrections Officers transport the work between the two county facilities. While “boarded out” inmates are still able to complete their studies at FCCC where they have access to materials needed to complete their studies.