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Carroll County Supervisors Mull Over Tuition Assistance Request For Local Paramedic Student

At last week’s Carroll County Board of Supervisors meeting, A Breda resident came before the members, asking for assistance with tuition costs for schooling. Scott Stork is attending Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge to become a paramedic, and says he wants to bring his education back to the Carroll County Ambulance Service. He says he is willing to make concessions to receive help with covering the costs.

Stork says he would be willing to sign a 10-year contract at any time as a means to pay back the estimated up to $7,200 it will take for him to complete his required courses over the next three semesters. Although board members did not recall any such request in the past, they were leery of moving forward too quickly and wanted to put some thought towards the proposal. At Monday morning’s meeting, the subject was again brought up, this time with the director of the department, Darrell Baker. He says they did at one time consider offering this inducement to potential employees.

In addition, Baker pointed out that even though someone obtains a degree from an accredited school, there are no guarantees they will pass the necessary exams to work in Iowa. He said there is only an average 68 to 70 percent passing rate reported between 2014 and 2018. He also cited an attrition rate of nearly 70 percent in the first three to five years from those who do become paramedics, simply due to the nature of the job. Several supervisors again expressed hesitation in setting a precedent, especially in light of the information presented by Baker. The subject was tabled until next week’s meeting when the board is anticipated to make a final decision.

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