Cyndi Loza

Businessmen, policymakers and school officials joined a town hall meeting Wednesday aimed at establishing a network to reduce the high school dropout rate in Nevada.

“Our hope is to first bring awareness and then start a dialogue with all the key players, which includes law enforcement, community leaders and policymakers,” said Laura Granier, foundation representative for the Washoe County Ready for Life steering committee that helped organize the meeting.

About 60 community leaders attended the meeting at Wooster High School on Wednesday evening.

Attendants were able to join one of Ready for Life’s four workgroups, which include awareness, community services and supports; policy, sustainability and systems; education; and employment.

Ready for Life, RFL, is a statewide movement launched by the Nevada Public Education Foundation that aims to ensure “all youth in Nevada are educated, ready to learn, experienced and ready for careers, and connected to adults and their peers.”

Granier, chairwoman elect of the Nevada Public Education Foundation, said the Ready for Life program differs from other anti-dropout initiatives because it is “not a project.”

“What we’re doing is leveraging the resources that we have,” Granier said.

The group aims to work with various entities, such as the city of Reno, to address the dropout rate in the state.

“The objective of this group is to reengage youth … so they realize they are a valuable part to this community,” said Darryl Feemster Sr., youth/senior division manager for the city of Reno.

State Sen. Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, addressed the town hall meeting via phone about the movement that originated in Southern Nevada.

“(Students dropping-out) is a problem that affects all our community that we have to respond to as a community,” Horsford said.

Fast facts

• Only 62 percent of Nevada’s youth graduate high school on time; only 10 percent of these young people will eventually earn a four-year degree
• High school dropouts earn less, pay fewer taxes and are more likely to collect welfare
• High school dropouts are 3.5 times more likely than high school graduates to be arrested and more than eight times as likely to be incarcerated
• In Nevada, a 10 percent increase in graduation rates translates into preventing 45 murders and more than 2,000 aggravated assault each year, this includes 30 murders and more than 1, 300 aggravated assaults in Las Vegas and 5 murders and more than 160 aggravated assaults in Reno.

Source: Ready for Life

Join a workgroup

To join one the four workgroups (awareness, community services and supports; policy, sustainability and systems; education; and employment) e-mail RFL (at) socialent (dot) com before Nov. 12. The kick-off meeting will be held from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Nov. 17 at the Northeast Community Center.