Caretaker class hopeful at LR

A new class at the high school could certify students to be home caretakers.

Lake Roosevelt High School is working on crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s of implementing a home caretaker class into offered curriculum.

The move would be the first program implemented in a drive to add CTE (Career Technical Education) instruction at the school. A previous attempt by the district to include a Certified Nursing Assistant class in the curriculum fell short when an instructor couldn’t be found.

The one-semester class would prepare students to take a state assessment test to become certified as home caretakers.

The class would be taught in the old home economics room at the former middle school in Grand Coulee, requiring the students, about 15 for the first class, to be bussed between the main LR campus in Coulee Dam and the former middle school, five days a week.

Superintendent Paul Turner said at an Oct. 28 school board meeting that he was hopeful the class would start in the spring of 2020.

The district is also working on getting a person certified to teach the class, and on getting authorization from the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to use the room at the former middle school. The OSPI waiver would allow use of the older building without counting as part of the district’s allowed square footage in a state funding formula that determines future state distributions for district building funds.

“It’s looking like everything’s coming together well,” Turner told the board.

Turner has emphasized the need for more career focused classes in the curriculum in recent years.