The Sarasota County Schools Adult and Community Enrichment (ACE) program has generated more than a million dollars in annual fees for the first time, program director Laura Trubac announced at a presentation June 9. Program revenue has exceeded last year’s total by more than $70,000.

ACE classes are offered primarily at the Suncoast Technical College campus in Sarasota. Although the school district provides the facilities for the classes, the operating costs of the program are supported entirely through class fees.

The school district subsidized the program until 2010, when it was moved to what was then the Sarasota County Technical Institute campus. With a new location and restructured management, the program soon became self-sufficient.

Trubac credits the talent of the instructors and the enthusiasm of the students for the success of the program. “ACE employs more than 150 part-time teachers, who work hard to offer high-quality lifelong learning courses,” she said. “And you must have folks who are eager to participate in our classes,” she said.

She said the ACE program is a significant contributor to the local economy. “In addition to providing wages to teachers, ACE returns revenue to the community through the thousands of dollars spent on class equipment and supplies,” she said. The program has a particularly strong impact on the arts community because more than 40 percent of ACE classes are in the arts.

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