OKEECHOBEE — Alaina Barron, Executive Director of the Okeechobee Educational Foundation spoke to the Okeechobee City Council during its Sept. 22 meeting. Her presentation included facts such as there are 6,400 public school students in Okeechobee, and 84% of those students are economically disadvantaged and 37% live in poverty. She explained the mission of the foundation is to remove barriers and drive outcomes for these students so that each student has a chance to succeed.

She said Florida, including Okeechobee, is experiencing job growth, and these employers need skilled talent to fill their needs. “This means that the children we have in our classrooms right now, every day, are Florida and Okeechobee’s biggest asset. They are going to be the skilled employees that take those jobs...”

She went on to explain that their program identifies challenges and tries to fill the gaps.

They offer classroom grants, college and career readiness support, family nights, Futures in Focus which helps children with disabilities to explore career options and help with the Okeechobee High School nursing program and a Fire CTE Academy and a Public Safety Telecommunications course. Two OHS students are now employed in this field, and two are currently attending Indian River State college for fire, paid for by the foundation.

“We are proving that small towns can lead to big change,” she said. “With the right partnerships, we can create opportunities here that rival anywhere else across Florida.”