Michael Neary / The Meridian StarMeridian Public School District Superintendent Amy Carter, Meridian Community College President Scott Elliott and Lauderdale County School District Superintendent Randy Hodges agree on a continuation of the schools’ efforts to offer dual-credit courses.

As local college and school district officials signed a memorandum of understanding to continue offering dual-credit courses, they expressed confidence in a program that enables students to earn college and high school credits simultaneously — and to cultivate advanced interests and talents before they graduate from high school.

Later, officials also noted ways they hope to see the effort develop in coming years.

Meridian Community College President Scott Elliott, Meridian Public School District Superintendent Amy Carter and Lauderdale County School District Superintendent Randy Hodges signed the agreement Tuesday morning at the college.

“It’s a great partnership for our students in the county and in the city, providing them with an entree to college, giving them an advanced position,” Elliott said. “We’re absolutely tickled to death with those who start with us and who elect to continue on with MCC. We just love working with serious students.”

Elliott said the honors college at MCC is up to “a record number of 75 students,” a rise he connected to dual-credit courses.

“I just believe that if our community can prosper, one of the things we want to do is keep our best and brightest at home as long as we can,” he added.

Hodges said the program fills “a void that we might have had” if the courses were not present. Carter noted the particularly strong effect the program had “at Ross Collins through the CTE program and the dual-credit opportunities there, as well as the opportunities at Meridian High School.” Carter added that “this is really about being able to grow students in Lauderdale County and in the Meridian Public School District.”

After the signing, Lori Smith, college and career planning coordinator for MCC, noted that dual-credit Career and Technology courses focusing on health science were added in the fall of 2016 to the dual-credit offerings of Northeast Lauderdale High School, West Lauderdale High School and Ross Collins Career & Technical Center. A class focusing on marketing was also added at Northeast Lauderdale High School in fall 2016. This fall, Smith said, a class focusing on marketing was added to Clarkdale High School’s offerings.

A number of other general education dual-credit courses have been added over the last two academic years, as well, said Marie Roberts, director of recruiting and campus life at MCC.

“This semester we have more than 350 students who chose to enroll and take dual credit courses,” Roberts added. “This is down approximately 50 students, and I would attribute part of that decline to the statewide-initiated price increase” in dual-credit courses.

Roberts said the price for dual-credit courses remains significantly less than it would be for regular college classes.

Smith noted areas where she and other officials hope to add dual-credit courses in the future, as well. She and Richie McAlister, associate vice president for Workforce Education at MCC, mentioned child care, construction and culinary arts as among subjects where dual-credit opportunities may arise.

Smith said she hopes to see dual-credit courses created at the Ross Collins Teaching Academy, in the Meridian Public School District, as well as dual-credit courses created to work in conjunction with MCC’s early childhood program.