Amarillo College's News Source Since 1930 acranger.com
Volume 92, Issue 7
February 3, 2022
Regents approve phone contract, Albertsons purchase By ANDREW TERRY Staff Reporter
SHAWN McCREA | The Ranger
Normally, Amarillo College’s two campus child cares centers has 138 spots but has had to limit the amount of children they accept to 78 because of shortages.
Desperately seeking staffers
Campus child care centers face worker shortage due to pandemic By KIM BLACK Student Reporter
The COVID-19 pandemic closed child care facilities nationwide, and many never reopened. “It’s created a child care desert,” Rochelle Fouts, Amarillo College education and early childhood instructor, said. One of the biggest challenges for AC’s child care facilities is “just finding people who want to work,” Fouts said. The pandemic brought new guidelines for classroom size, teacher-student ratios, cleaning and masking. This means more work, higher cost standards and more strain for everyone. “Our seasoned workforce is worn-out,” Fouts said. In a Dec. 15, 2021, article for “The Chronicle of Higher Education,” Kelly Field reported, “In 2004 roughly 60% of public colleges had campus child care centers. By 2019 only 45% did. The steepest losses have occurred at community colleges, which educate 42% of all student parents.” “The larger of Amarillo College’s two centers is licensed to serve 135 students but currently has only 78 because of staffing shortages,” Dennis Sarine, AC’s director of teacher preparation and early childhood
education, said in the same article. dealing with the virus itself. Many established workers left the New protocols require that when anyfield. Some became caregivers to others, one in the facility — child, teacher or their own family members and some left staff — tests positive for the virus or because “the new regulations made the becomes symptomatic, “we report it to job less fun,” Patricia Keith, AC child Amarillo College, to licensing and to the care coordinator, said. Extra work, along Health Department,” Keith said. with concerns over the effects of the viThe Health Department determines rus, has led to “caregiver exhaustion, and who stays and who quarantines, then noa mental health crisis,” she said. tifies the affected parents of the situation. “Scheduling staff The staff sends letters for the week is like to parents when a posa game of Tetris,” sible exposure occurs. ‘Scheduling staff for Keith said. When “Most parents are the week is like one worker is out, the understanding and others shift around see the staff worka game of Tetris.’ the facility to maining hard,” Keith said. PATRICIA KEITH tain the right teachFrustration does ocAC child care coordinator er-student balance. cur, but it’s usually be“We’re in this togethcause of “misunderer. We’re better tostandings, or a need gether. And we need for more information.” each other fiercely,” she said. The goal is to maintain communication Keith said because AC’s child care fawith parents “to assure them that the staff cilities have Texas Rising Star’s four-star is doing everything possible to keep kids certification, their teacher-student ratio safe and settle their fears.” Erica Cole, was already low, about two teachers for child care supervisor for AC, said. every eight children, so the new guideThe AC child care facilities have fulllines had minimal impact on that aspect. time positions with benefits available Another challenge facing the schools and part-time and student positions open is the continually updating guidelines for now, Fouts said.
Prepare for success in 2022 Students and staff discuss their expectations and worries for the upcoming school semester.
“The thing I am most worried about this semester is my finals and papers that’ll need to be turned in right at the end. My goals this semester are to stay on top of my busy schedule. Being able to balance school while staying motivated is easier said than done.”
ABBY SMITH
Business major
“I have nothing to worry about this semester. I feel confident and comfortable with my classes. My goals for the term are to finish the classes with good grades and get my certificate.”
DYLAN SOTO
Instrumentation major
“My hope for the new semester is that we will address the whole person — the heart and the mind. We are intellectual beings, but also social, physical, psychological, moral and spiritual beings.”
MURAL WORTHEY
Humanities instructor
“I hope to not get behind in my classwork. I’m taking four classes and still work 60 hours a week with my job, so it’s a challenge.”
BREIGHANNA LAUB
Biochemical engineering major
The Amarillo College board of regents has approved a contract with TMobile to provide 400 phones with high-speed internet access for students. The regents voted on this decision at their regular board meeting Jan. 25. Students would have access to the phones and internet plan for as long as they are enrolled at AC. “The initial inventory is being used for our most inneed students who identified that they needed internet services,” Dr. Tamara Clunis, vice president of academic affairs, said. The program will be funded with $160,000 provided to AC by the federal government as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act or the CARES act. The regents also approved the $4 million purchase of the former Albertsons building at I-40 and Washington Street. They plan to relocate technical programs, such as machining technology and welding to the new building within the next three to five years. Currently, the building is leased to a furniture store. AC officials have no immediate plans for the building, but said they felt it was a good investment. “This is a very good deal at a very good price, that along with the opportunity it gives us to one day move some of our technical education programs to a more convenient location, one very near our largest campus on Washington street,” Chris Sharp, vice president of business, said. The board also approved a contract that will provide virtual lab software for science classes. The regents approved an agreement between AC and Labster Inc. for $75,000 to provide online labs to science classes. Clunis believes that the software will allow students to do more surfacelevel or preparatory work online and more advanced labs in-person. They also approved a $60,800 service agreement with Anatomage Inc. to purchase an anatomy visualization system that lets students examine digital cadavers. There are plans to have one system on the Washington Street Campus and one on West Campus. Along with this new technology, the regents heard a See REGENTS, page 3