Students taking Jayme Bellman’s jobs class at Eastern Greene High School, she said they expected something easy.
They tended to be students without plans after high school. Maybe they had more barriers to graduating, such as being bullied, growing up in a low-income family or having spotty attendance.
No matter their backgrounds, Bellmen expected students to show up to her Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) class like she showed up for them. JAG specialists in this state program aimed to build real-world skills and show options beyond high school.
“We're not just standing up, regurgitating information,” Bellman said. “We live it with them. We do it, we show them, we teach them. At least for me, I treated them like an adult, and they were one of my employees.”
JAG primarily helped 11th and 12th graders, though some schools expanded it to younger students. Then, a JAG specialist like Bellman could continue to work with students for another year after they graduated.
JAG Indiana students had a 97 percent graduation rate statewide, and 84 percent went on to college, a job or the military. More than 40,000 Hoosier students have been in the program since 2006. Indiana earned the most prestigious JAG award from the national organization during the 2024-2025 school year.
Despite the program’s success, JAG was eliminated from Indiana’s budget this year. Schools will cut their courses and staff for hundreds of students.
At Eastern Greene, Principal Eric Kirkendall said the school is working to sunset JAG without affecting students and on-time graduation. About 30 students are already enrolled in JAG this year, he said.
“The damage is done a little bit in some regard, in which we are going to have to utilize the program as best we can while we have it,” Kirkendall said.
An update from Indiana education secretary Katie Jenner said the Department of Workforce Development’s budget maintains its contract with the JAG national organization, so existing programs such as Eastern Greene’s can continue through 2026.
Jenner said schools are encouraged to work with their region's workforce boards and other funding sources.
“This may include investments from school corporations, philanthropic organizations, and/or employers, as well as the opportunity to leverage federal matching funds,” Jenner said. “Schools may consider leveraging current staff by incorporating JAG and its curriculum into the required Preparing for College and Careers course.”
Through JAG, students often learned skills not usually taught in the classroom.
For example, Bellman said her students focused on community service by organizing fundraisers for Riley Children’s Health and helping with vision screenings for the district’s students. It’s good for their resumes, and Bellman said such work builds soft skills such as communication and long-term planning. Students also learned about different career pathways from guest speakers and field trips.
"We're always just stepping the baby steps when beginning to do the things, taking away those nerves, showing them it's okay to be nervous, that I'm nervous — be real with them,” Bellman said.
Though Eastern Greene will continue the program for one more year, Bellman no longer works as its JAG specialist.
“Being a rural school, we don't get the funding like Bloomington schools or Edgewood, or even Bloomfield,” Bellman said. “It puts the schools in a hard position.”
Kirkendall said Eastern Greene is a wonderful school, but it hurts that students had this opportunity taken away. He’s hopeful the school can find a new solution.
“This, for me, just means that my message has to be that much more clear,” Kirkendall said. “You have to be on point in your classes, and you don't necessarily have the safety net that we once had. You don't have as many options, and you're going to have to be more proactive, and mature and really work at identifying your self interests.”
Aubrey is our higher education reporter and a Report For America corps member. Contact her at aubmwrig@iu.edu or follow her on X @aubreymwright.
