Samira Alsabki (right) receives her diploma at the Milwaukee Area Technical College on Monday after completing an online program. She was enrolled in High School Equivalency Diploma classes at SDC before it abruptly closed. (Photo provided by MATC)

When the Social Development Commission, or SDC, closed in late April, it left many in a bind, including students enrolled in its High School Equivalency Diploma, or HSED, program. Some were scheduled to complete the 16-week program in the coming weeks.

Fast action by Milwaukee Area Technical College, or MATC, Literacy Services of Wisconsin and others in the adult education arena ensured the students’ progress would not be stifled, as they were quickly enrolled at other sites.

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“It’s been a seamless transition,” said Sadique Isahaku, executive dean of academic strategy and innovation at MATC, which oversees the adult education program. 

As a result, 39 displaced SDC students graduated on Monday.

“They didn’t lose a heartbeat and now they’re ready for graduation,” Isahaku said. 

Isahaku said 15 students were moved from the SDC location to MATC’s West Campus, 1200 S. 71st St., while the others transitioned to virtual classes offered through MATC. 

MATC will continue to work to help transition them to the workforce or to college, she said. For decades, MATC has contracted with community-based organizations, including the SDC, to host adult education classes in Milwaukee, sending nine different instructors to various remote sites. 

Signs of SDC’s demise

One of those sites is Literacy Services of Wisconsin, 555 N. Plankinton Ave.  

Holly McCoy, executive director of the organization, said the HSED community in Milwaukee is small and that SDC staff proactively reached out to her to discuss a possible transition of students. 

“They just wanted to make sure that they had a place to go, but then they abruptly closed,” said McCoy. 

McCoy said she immediately reached out to MATC to see how her organization could help.

She said her organization is now working directly with MATC to enroll students who were waiting to enter an HSED program.  

Literacy Services of Wisconsin provides HSED and GED programming in Milwaukee at its main location downtown, North Division High School Learning Lab, 1011 W. Center St., and the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center, 5460 N. 64th St.

Moving students quickly was crucial

Holly Thielen, 5.09 HSED program coordinator at MATC, said she worked for SDC’s high school equivalency program when it started 20 years ago. 

Thielen said she was also contacted by instructors at SDC about moving students before the organization suddenly closed. 

She said the fact that the adult education students were quickly moved to different programs was crucial, considering any setback could result in them dropping out. 

“Luckily they didn’t in this case,” Thielen said. “They had the resources and people backing them to make sure they were not going to give up.”

Lasting impact of SDC’s closure

While McCoy credits the close-knit adult education community in Milwaukee for working together in a challenging moment, she also acknowledges the major impact of SDC’s closure. 

“It’s another service provider gone,” she said.

In addition, McCoy added, SDC was one of only two neighborhood sites with a GED testing center. The other is UMOS, although MATC also offers GED testing at its campuses.  

“MATC campus might be hard for people in some neighborhoods to get to so the neighborhood testing sites are vital,” she said. 

Thielen said the community is definitely going to be impacted by the loss of SDC’s services. Thankfully, though, she said, its students will still have an opportunity to thrive. 

“Earning an HSED isn’t the end for most students. This is the beginning,” Thielen said. “We are there for the students and will do whatever we can to make sure they can be successful.” 

More NNS coverage of the SDC

Here’s what we know three weeks after the SDC’s closing

Leaders, community members weigh in on the SDC’s shutdown

What you need to know about services after SDC’s abrupt closing

What you need to know if you used the SDC to file income taxes

What do you want to know?

Do you have questions you want answered about the SDC? Thoughts you want to share? We are here for you. Let us know what’s on your mind by emailing us or commenting. You can also text us through News414, and our reporters will work hard to get the answers you deserve.

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Raised in a South Side neighborhood where he still lives, Edgar Mendez is the managing editor of the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. Mendez is a proud graduate of UW-Milwaukee, where he double majored in journalism and sociology, and of Marquette University, where he earned a master’s degree in communication. He won a 2018 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award and 2014, 2017, and 2018 Milwaukee Press Club Awards for his reporting on taverns, marijuana law enforcement, and lead in water service lines. In 2008, he won a Society of Professional Journalists’ regional award for columns dealing with issues such as poverty, homelessness and racism. His writing has been published by the Associated Press, Reuters, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and other media. He has also co-authored three articles published in scholarly journals.