The plan currently being considered by local agencies, according to officials, would call for the Big Spring ISD, Howard College, Howard County, the city of Big Spring and the Big Spring EDC to donate $20,000, and Coahoma ISD and Forsan ISD will donate $10,000 each.

The funds would be used to hire a grant writer who would serve all of the participating agencies, including the cities of Coahoma and Forsan, which are not being asked to chip in for the program because of budgetary constraints, according to County Judge Mark Barr.

According to Terry Wegman, executive director of the Big Spring EDC, the board gave the plan a preliminary nod during its last meeting, but reserved final approval — which it's expected to give Monday — until the contract was in-hand.

“The board liked what it saw, but wanted to wait until it could review the actual contract before giving it final approval,” said Wegman. “The contract gives the agreement some structure we need to make it all work.”

The grant writer — believed to be Stacy Payne, regional planner for the Workforce Solutions Permian Basin, according to Big Spring Mayor Russ McEwen — would serve all of the agencies, but officials have already expressed a severe need for grants to fund vocational training in Howard County, an area being sorely neglected.

“I know one of the things we're really looking for, and benefits us all, would be the development of some type of vocational training in our high schools — all three high schools, as well as Howard College,” said McEwen. “Believe it or not, there is no vocational training in the city of Big Spring right now, at any level whatsoever. There are a lot of kids that are dropping out of high school and not progressing because we don't offer avenues other than core curriculum type situations.”

And while Big Spring EDC obviously plans to focus on growing business in Howard County, Wegman said vocational courses could have a pronounced impact on more than just the local drop out rate.

“You have to remember, all of it's connected. What helps one agency in Howard County eventually helps them all,” said Wegman. “From our standpoint, workforce development is critical when you're trying to create jobs for both existing industry and prospective industry.

“Most businesses will tell you about 25 percent of their workforce is made up of employees with a bachelor's degree. That leaves 75 percent of their workforce to fill. The way the system is set up now, the kids who aren't going to college are being neglected.”

Barr said the grant writer would work for the agencies through the Workforce Solutions Permian Basin, but would be dedicated to the agencies that are funding the endeavor.

“There are a lot of grants for education,” said Barr. “The education system in Texas is aimed at kids who are going to be going to college. As we all know, not everyone goes to college. There are things out there that people who don't go to college can do very successfully. One of the things the grant writer would be looking at is developing a program for these drop outs to learn a trade, like electricity and welding, or plumbing. We would work in conjunction with Howard College on this.

“The grant writer would be working for the Workforce (Network). They would have their office here in Big Spring and would exclusively be working for Howard County entities. We (the entities) would pay for her salary and for the office.”

The meeting is expected to begin at noon in the Chamber of Commerce Board Room, located at 215 W. Third St.

Contact Staff Writer Thomas Jenkins at 263-7331 ext. 232 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it