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CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK
<br /> Councilmember Regina Williams-Preston stated, Wow. I am trying not to be so excited, I really
<br /> love this. You and your department, you really need to be commended. I have some very specific
<br /> questions. I am going to thank you, I see a lot of what I've heard residents saying that the Council
<br /> has been saying over the last few years, reflected in this budget. Not just with words, but with
<br /> specific dollars attached to it,and that shows the hard work that you've done in listening and really
<br /> connecting with the residents in this community. Most specifically, I heard a lot of really great
<br /> words, and I know that what you're doing is backing up those words. I hear things like people-
<br /> centered, how can we increase our credit rating because we want a triple A (AAA) bond rating,
<br /> and one (1) of the things they talked about was increasing AMI, raising wages, and high wage
<br /> workers. The language means a lot. When you're saying these things effortlessly, and I'm hearing
<br /> it from your whole staff,it really shows that this is something that the City Administration is really
<br /> committed to, and it's really exciting to hear. With regards to workforce development, you talked
<br /> about the Tech Resource Center and the high wage jobs. I'm wondering how can we connect our
<br /> current residents. We talk about our brain drain, and I often talk about the brain drain that happens
<br /> when kids don't make it through high school for example. There is a lot of potential, but for some
<br /> reason that falls off.I hear that there is going to be a presentation later,and so I am looking forward
<br /> to hearing how we can begin to connect existing residents to those opportunities as well, not just
<br /> the young people who come to the many universities that we have and keeping them here, but
<br /> connecting our existing residents to those opportunities.
<br /> She continued, The Pathways Program, I heard one hundred twenty-four(124)people, then forty-
<br /> eight(48)people in the Purdue pilot, I am looking forward to hearing more about those and what
<br /> the plans are to upscale that,because those are really great. I also heard some dollars going toward
<br /> early childhood,the pilot program with Purdue that is like a post-secondary, Youth Build, looking
<br /> at those young people who maybe didn't finish,which is a real problem,and reengaging them and
<br /> giving them real skills. Residents have been wanting that specifically. The question I have is, do
<br /> you have any thoughts on what to do about that K-12? We have the early childhood, the post-
<br /> secondary, but is there any conversation about what we can do to support the K-12 schools so that
<br /> we are not having this gap?Also so we are not getting so many kids,somewhere around ten percent
<br /> (10%) of people over eighteen (18) years old in St. Joseph County don't have a high school
<br /> credential? So we're working hard to bring these high-wage jobs, but so many of our residents
<br /> can't even qualify for those.
<br /> Mr. Mueller stated, This is all workforce and education related. One (1) of the most important
<br /> things we can do for K-12 is, a lot of the outcomes aren't driven by what is going on in the
<br /> classroom, and trying to figure out what we can do as a City to have safe, vibrant, healthy
<br /> neighborhoods. I think lead is a big issue. There is a lot of research on the impact that has on the
<br /> rates of violence and learning outcomes, so healthy households is a good place to start. The crime
<br /> rate is outside of our jurisdiction,per say,but we know it impacts development and schools across
<br /> the board so we're not blind to that. I think some of the social services and the expansion there and
<br /> the GVI, looking at more of the carrots rather than just the sticks is something we're focused on.
<br /> We have other ideas that we haven't figured out financing for yet. There are thoughts of how you
<br /> encourage different sectors or professionals to move into neighborhoods that they were from, or
<br /> not, like teachers for example. So is there a way we can incentivize them and police and other
<br /> public sector employees to live among the residents that they serve. We don't know how to pay
<br /> for that,but it is something that we think about. Since I'm talking about things we don't know how
<br /> to fund, when I worked for the Solar Institute at George Washington, schools have great flat roofs
<br /> EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION EMPOWERMENT
<br /> 455 County-City Building 1 227 W Jefferson Bvld'South Bend,Indiana 466011 p 574.235.92211f 574.235.9173 I I U 574.235.55671 www.southbendin.gov
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