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1 <br /> 4 <br /> 1 <br /> j South Bend Redevelopment Commission <br /> 1 Regular Meeting—August 14, 2014 <br /> 1 <br /> 6. NEW BUSINESS (CONT.) <br /> G. Other <br /> I <br /> I (1) Economic Development Update <br /> Mr. Zeeb noted that the Commission is being asked to participate in Project Lead the Way <br /> (PLTW) with the Chamber of Commerce and South Bend School Corporation. Project Lead <br /> 1 the Way is a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) focused curriculum and <br /> 1 teacher professional development program designed to meet the needs of a global economy. <br /> 1 In July 2013 PLTW reached out to CPEG to assess its initial interest in the regional <br /> s <br /> 1 implementation of the PLTW model in a five-county area. Those five counties were St. <br /> k Joseph, Elkhart, Fulton, Kosciusko, and Marshall. In October 2013 PLTW informed the <br /> counties of a potential matching grant opportunity. In December 2013 PLTW made a <br /> 1 presentation to the South Bend School Corporation, the Chamber of Commerce, and other <br /> community players. The Chamber agreed to lead the way in securing businesses to help <br /> 1 fund the program in South Bend. In February 2014 the Chamber secured the matching <br /> funds from businesses and other foundations and individuals. Through discussions with the <br /> 1 School Board the city realized additional technology infrastructure challenges hindered <br /> implementation of PLTW in the South Bend schools. This approved educational training <br /> program gives the TIF unique opportunity to leverage multiple funding sources against its <br /> contribution of$542,716 which will impact 23 of our city schools and launch a nationally <br /> recognized STEM program to support positive economic growth and development citywide. <br /> 1 The commitment would be made over a three year period and matched by the school <br /> corporation. DCI requests Commission approval to move forward with preparation of a <br /> 1 development agreement for those funds. <br /> 1 <br /> Mr. Jeff Rea, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce, explained PLTW. Mr. Rea <br /> i <br /> noted that the Chamber has analyzed why our community occasionally loses economic <br /> opportunities. We recognized that we were losing those opportunities because of a <br /> deficiency in our talent pipeline. When we sat with our competitors in other cities and were <br /> � able to see what they had in terms of the talent pipeline, specifically related to STEM, it was <br /> apparent that we weren't doing enough. The economic development partners from across <br /> the region felt like we needed to do some things locally to address those deficiencies. <br />`a <br /> As we look at the targeted industries that we have in our area, and as we look at the growth <br /> in STEM in other areas, and as we consider the number of new job opportunities that are <br /> available around the country, CPEG and local economic development partners from that five <br /> county area came together with interest in pulling together the resources to fund this PLTW <br /> initiative. We had some initial experience with PLTW in our community—Riley High <br /> School, Kennedy Primary in South Bend was a national pilot site, Mishawaka High School <br /> and Penn High School. We thought if we could expand that opportunity to every student in <br /> St. Joseph County,public or private school, that that would give us a competitive advantage <br /> i <br /> when we are competing for jobs. <br /> a <br /> 1 <br /> 6 <br /> i <br /> 1 <br />