What can perform to produce more high-quality vocational education in Massachusetts?
In the last article, I authored the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education should produce a new grant program to check out innovative way of vocational districts and non-vocational districts to operate together to produce additional capacity. Further, I recommended the issue must reassign staff to rapidly review applications for brand-new Chapter 74 programs.
People are relatively short-term solutions. What else can we do?
Listed here are three other great ideas:
o Accelerate Large Building Projects. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) must lead in this region. It must advance discussions while using the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA), the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), legislative leaders, along with other stakeholders to build up a procedure for enhance the ease through which building expansions are approved at regional vocational technical high schools which require to boost seating capacity to satisfy student demand. As veteran vocational leaders have frequently pointed out, most regional vocational schools in Massachusetts are age forty. They might need repair. Sometimes, they might need substitute. Must be handful of of individuals districts have around 19 member communities, around 19 individual approvals are required to obtain a project began. Getting a few communities facing significant fiscal stress already, it’s tough to argue for further funding. The issue must use its thinking cap and solve this issue.
o Create Stand-Alone Structures. The issue must convene talks while using the MSBA about funding stand-alone structures across the campuses of regional vocational technical schools which require to expeditiously increase seating capacity to satisfy student demand. To achieve this, the Legislature will likely have to empower the MSBA to dramatically boost the quantity of funding it offers on such projects.
o Create Additional Financial Incentives. As formerly stated, the issue must make an effort to create financial incentives to help vocational school expansion. In addition, it must consider giving a monetary incentive to regional vocational school districts that add people and to regional vocational school districts that realign their membership to become more contiguous geographically.
These 3 ideas tend to be difficult than developing a new grant program or acquiring a brand new worker. They surely will not the simple. Plus they are not likely to solve the issue overnight.
Speculate set on solving the issue – not only acknowledging it – we have to start somewhere.
