Pittsfield Superintendent Fears Taconic Vocational Plan Unrealistic

The Pittsfield School Committee is rethinking the number of vocational programs at a new Taconic High School.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A hard-won compromise last year on the future number of vocational programs at Taconic High School may need to be reassessed as the city moves forward with the planning for its high school building project.  

Superintendent of Schools Jason McCandless informed the Pittsfield School Committee on Wednesday that based on current enrollment, the prognosis was grim for the committee's previously approved list of 15 desired career technical education programs in a new or redesigned Taconic.

"I think over the coming weeks we really need to revisit what CTE programs we are going to build for," McCandless advised the committee.

The superintendent indicated that the architects working with the city on the current building feasibility study believe the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which must approve the design as part of the state's reimbursement of up to 80 percent of the cost, will not allow a plan that is not supported by the current percentages of local high school students enrolled in CTE shops.  

"They are very concerned about our ability to build for, appropriately outfit and maintain over years 15 standalone vocational shops in the new Taconic project," warned McCandless.

A 2012 study by the New England School Development Council advised that 14 technical programs were feasible based on vocational enrollment expectations for the school, leading to a list of 14 programs recommended for the educational program by the School Building Needs Commission.

While the list included some programs new to the school, it did not include some current programs such as metal fabrication and automotive repair. This plan sparked cries of protest from a large subset of local employers dependent on this workforce. The committee approved an amended list of 15 programs in hopes of making a case to the MSBA based on improved enrollment projections. 

McCandless said even the NESDC recommendations may have been overly optimistic, given the standard equations by which the MSBA judges building space needs. The superintendent said that to justify 15 shops, the school would need to have more than 530 students enrolled in them, or about 30 percent of the district's Grade 9-12 students.  

"Maybe it's 13 programs, maybe it's 12," McCandless suggested. "I'm not seeing 15 as likely to go forward and that we will be able to build for it." 

Frank Cote, assistant superintendent for vocational programs, told the committee that there are currently 437 students enrolled in 15 programs.

"You want to make sure you have enough students to have enough viable shops," said Cote.

McCandless said that while many of the final decisions about the design and what kind of building project this will be will fall to the SBNC, the School Committee is the body that is charged with determining exactly what educational programming will go on there.

Unlike last year, which involved several months and numerous hours of public testimony over several meetings, this term's School Committee will have only a short period of time in which to make these difficult choices, as consulting architects are eager for a finalized plan for CTE programs by the end of April in order to continue to move forward with the design study.

"I would rather be transparent about this now, even though it's not the answer everyone wants to hear," said McCandless. "And to have a dozen or 13 stellar programs that do well, than to have an amazing ribbon cutting and to see the slow death of two or three programs over the next few years."

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