The U.S. Department of Education announced Friday that Chemeketa Community College has been awarded $1,421,219 as part of the first-even Perkins Innovation and Modernization Career Connected High Schools (CCHS) grant program.
Earlier this month the school was also awarded a different federal grant; a $2.2 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Rural Postsecondary and Economic Development Program.
U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06), along with U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) collectively announced the CCHS grant. In that announcement they said the funding will be used to connect high school students from rural and under-resourced schools with college credit opportunities and set them on the path to good-paying careers in STEM.
“I’m excited to see Chemeketa Community College receive federal funding to expand dual enrollment opportunities for high school students,” Salinas said. “Through my visits to career-technical education centers across Oregon’s Sixth District, I have seen firsthand how critical these kinds of programs are for students, especially those from rural and underrepresented communities.