BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — From evening classes held in local schools in the 1960s to current nationally recognized outcomes, Martin County Adult Education (MCAE) has evolved alongside the community it serves, instructor Vicky Jude told the Kiwanis Club during a recent meeting.
She said the center’s GED program provides a high school equivalency credential that opens doors to employment, job training and postsecondary education while strengthening basic skills in reading, writing, math and problem-solving. Graduates gain access to higher-paying jobs, workforce certifications and college pathways. According to Jude, studies show that adult education delivers a strong economic return to communities, while participants also report long-term benefits that extend to their families.
Kiwanis president Melissa Phelps introduced Jude, calling her a steady and trusted presence in the program’s success.
“She’s the driving force behind it all,” Phelps said. “She keeps it going. And she works with us in the court system and is really good with our people. I asked her to come and talk a little bit about adult ed, how they’re funded, kind of where they’ve been and where they are now, some of the expansion they’ve done, and the things they’re doing that are more than just giving people diplomas.”
Jude began by sharing a Dec. 8, 1965, Martin County Journal article documenting early adult education classes in the county.
“It was designed for men who were on the Work Experience and Training Program,” Jude said. “They were set up in the evening at the local elementary schools and two high schools. The classes were taught by regular classroom teachers.”
Modern adult GED and high school equivalency programs grew out of federal initiatives such as the Manpower Development and Training Act of 1962 and the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, which expanded adult education and job training in rural communities like Martin County.
“I feel like [adult education] continued in this vein up until about 1987,” Jude said. “That is when my sister started doing homebound classes. At that time, the local board had turned it over to KEDC [Kentucky Educational Development Corporation], the biggest co-op in the state. She covered the entire county.”
In 1992, MCAE opened its first learning center in two rooms of the old Inez Middle School.
“In 1994, we had a jobs training program that would have been very similar to the Work Experience and Training Program,” Jude said. “When that opened we had two teachers, Glendene Marcum and Jean Nichols. We would have about 40 students a day coming back there.”
Jude joined the program in 1995 as a homebound instructor.
“Early on we didn’t have quotas; we just kind of did our thing,” she said.
Graduations took place at the old Inez Middle School gym and at the Martin County Courthouse.
“We would be full,” Jude said. “We would have so many students graduating. I remember, particularly in the big courtroom, it was just overflowing; people were standing.”
After the school district sold the old middle school, Adult Education relocated again, this time to the first floor of the old Martin County Jail, with help from the community.
“That building needed some TLC then,” Jude said. “We had to plumb it. My dad had most of the fittings for that. And Glendene’s husband was given a couple of inmates from Big Sandy. They ran the gas lines and water lines so we could have gas to heat with and plumbing.”
During that transition, Department for Community-Based Services students attended classes at the Massey Coal Lab on Blacklog Road.
“By that time, the number of students in DCBS had dropped, and we just needed one instructor there,” Jude said. “In the early 2000s that program shut down.”
A turning point came during planning for the Roy F. Collier Community Center, when a community survey highlighted Adult Education’s location in the old jail.
“They said, ‘We can’t believe your adult education program is being housed in this building. You should take more pride,’” Jude said. “So we were invited to come to the community center and our main learning center has been housed there ever since.”
Today, Jude and fellow instructor Melissa Horn staff the center.
Funding comes through Kentucky Adult Education based on population and whether programs meet performance requirements from previous years.
“As we know, our population has dropped,” Jude said. “And because our population has dropped, our funding has dropped.”
To earn a GED in Kentucky, students must be at least 18 years old and score at least 145 out of 200 on the GED Ready practice test. They must then score at least 145 in each of the four subject-area exams: math, language arts, science and social studies.
“Many students choose to study for one test at a time,” Jude said. “On occasion, students test ready when we first see them and won’t require any classes… When a student needs classes, we sit down and work out an individual study plan.”
MCAE operates five days a week and typically offers testing one day each week. Jude said students should call ahead to schedule testing, as staff are often working in the field three days per week.
“That way we can make sure we are there when they show up,” she said.
Jude told Kiwanis members that Kentucky Adult Education leads the state in GED attainment.
“We have for the last several years,” she said, noting that KEDC operates 11 programs statewide. “Last year Martin County tied with two other KEDC counties to be the No. 1 provider. The year before, we were the No. 1 provider.”
The rankings are based on the number of students served, the number of GEDs earned and the number of students who make measurable academic gains.
Since moving into the community center, MCAE has consistently exceeded its GED targets, surpassing last year’s goal by 10.
KEDC also ranks first statewide in students transitioning into the workforce and college.
“We know our students are graduating from college as well,” Jude said. “One of our students was a student speaker at an EKU graduation ceremony recently. Then she came back and was the guest speaker at one of our GED graduations.”
The center also offers Integrated Education and Training partnerships with the local school system for those seeking employment as paraeducators.
“Everyone who does not have at least an associate degree must pass the paraeducator exam,” Jude said. “We offer that for the schools. We also provide mediation classes for anyone who needs help passing the exam.”
Additional services include ServSafe Foodhandler certification.
“Most restaurants will require that,” Jude said. “Currently we’re working with White Oak Hill, and we could offer it to anyone.”
Citing data from the Coalition on Adult Basic Education, Jude said every dollar invested in adult education generates a $40 return to the regional economy.
“What has always made us successful are community partners,” she added, again noting that Adult Education conducts classes three days a week at White Oak Hill.
For students who earn their GEDs while in treatment, recognition is immediate.
“Most will be gone before we have a formal graduation, but once someone earns a GED, we grab a gown, go up and let the girls put the gown on and do their walk down the hallway,” said Jude. “Everyone comes out and cheers. It’s really nice for the girls who earn their GEDs and for the others who get to see.”
Through its KEDC Family Literacy grant, the center also supports the Martin County Public Library’s preschool program.
Student referrals come from the JAG Out-of-School Program, DCBS, the Board of Education and the court system. Jude has worked with the county’s specialty court since its inception more than 20 years ago.
“Graduation day is one of my favorite days,” she said. “Not everyone comes back for graduation but we try to honor students who work extra hard.”
All services are free, with the state paying for GED tests.
The center will send a transcript to the college of the student’s choice and assist them in filling out their college application.
MCAE is in the Collier Center, 387 East Main Street, Suite 220, in Inez. Call (606) 298-0207 for more information.