Center for Transition Services renamed in honor of late school board member
![MikeJenkinsTransitionCenterPlaque]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1749492424/wsisdcom/cbfrg8kcoy4hdj78iqbl/CTSdedication.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1749492424/wsisdcom/cbfrg8kcoy4hdj78iqbl/CTSdedication.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1749492424/wsisdcom/cbfrg8kcoy4hdj78iqbl/CTSdedication.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1749492424/wsisdcom/cbfrg8kcoy4hdj78iqbl/CTSdedication.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1749492424/wsisdcom/cbfrg8kcoy4hdj78iqbl/CTSdedication.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1749492424/wsisdcom/cbfrg8kcoy4hdj78iqbl/CTSdedication.jpg","width":2200}])
Center for Transition Services renamed in honor of late school board member
Desiree Coyle
Late school board member Mike Jenkins honored with the dedication of Center for Transition Services.
WSISD renamed its Center for Transition Serves in honor of the late Mike Jenkins during a ceremony on June 3. A member of the WSISD Board of Trustees from 1989 to 2006, Jenkins was active in Special Olympics, Special Kids Leagues, the White Settlement Little League, the White Settlement Pee Wee Football Association, PTAs, and the Gifted and Talented Association.
During his tenure, the school board won the 1998 and 2006 Region 11 Honor Board, advancing to the Texas Honor Board competition.
Jenkins said, “I knew some of the problems faced by parents with special needs children and the options the district could take to enhance the program.”
He had a vision for students with special needs to leave public schools with the skills they needed for success in the real world and to have opportunities so they would be included in their community. Just like their peers, he wanted them to have choices regarding their futures as adults.
His passion planted the seed for the Transition Center in WSISD. He advocated for a program after high school that would provide a place where students with cognitive or social disabilities could further advance their educational and occupational careers and become active members of the community.
The Mike Jenkins Center for Transition Services serves young adults ages 18 to 22 who have completed their high school requirements and have cognitive delays and/or social orders. CTS provides opportunities for career exploration, hands-on job training, and the tools for independent living. The facility provides mock career centers that include a grocery store, “Bear Mart”, restaurant, and office/bank. Individuals also learn life skills like running errands, preparing meals, and planning recreational activities in the community.
Jenkins served as a board member over the course of three bond programs and was part of the opening of Tannahill Intermediate, North Elementary, the new Brewer High School, and numerous district-wide building additions and improvements.
