Rockwood and Parkway have made history with their recent joint venture.

At the September 19th Board of Education meeting, the districts established a 10 year Community Education partnership.

The approval came after 18 months of research and discussion about the proposal. Community workshops were held and finances and human resources were reviewed.

The combined Community Education program is projected to better serve the interests of both of the districts and their respective patrons.

Rockwood and Parkway are alike in the fact that they consider community education to be a source of valuable, lifelong learning opportunities.

Rockwood and Parkway each possess unique strengths, and considering they are not in direct competition with one another, a partnership was possible and their successes can be shared.

As well as offering a broader scope of programs and services, the new venture is also fiscally responsible.

Many community residents are not aware that Community Education is a self-funded program.

Tax dollars are not used to run these programs, rather, program participants are charged fees to cover the service costs.

With the partnership, there will be opportunities to reduce costs without cutting the services or sacrificing the quality of the programs.

Director of Community Education Michael Seppi suggests that those with inquiries visit the FAQ link on the Community Education website.

The unification of the districts aims to create a smoother, more successful community education program with benefits across the board for every individual involved.