REGIONAL – Gov. Maura Healey has come up with a new plan to build a modern Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School (WT) on the Northeastern Community College campus (NECC) in Haverhill.
In what was described as “early stages” of consideration by state leaders, the proposal would provide vocational education “efficiently and affordably,” the governor’s announcement said. It would also expand access to postsecondary education and increase enrollment capacity at both schools.
Newburyport Mayor Sean Reardon described the governor’s proposal as “just an idea,” but “a good start.”
Reardon wrote, “I do think people should realize that this is a long road, and I don’t envision anything coming together for years, but this is a good start.”
If you have an opinion to express on this plan, a final listening session is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19, on zoon. Register at https://tinyurl.com/whittiersurvey2024
On Jan. 23, voters in the 11 cities and towns rejected a proposal to fund a new $444.6 million Whittier Tech high school. Residents balked at the price tag for what would have been the most expensive high school built in the state. They also felt the Whittier board and administration had not been transparent in designing the new school.
Following the vote, the Whittier Tech school committee withdrew the proposed building from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) process and forfeited millions of dollars in potential state funding.
In September, after WT submitted a new request to the MSBA for funding, agency officials visited the NECC campus and toured potential shared spaces and areas for potential new construction.
“Our administration knows that a new, modern facility is needed for Whittier Tech, but we also understand the communities’ concerns about cost,” Healey said in a statement. “This potential collaboration between Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School and Northern Essex Community College aims to meet the needs of our students and communities in an efficient, affordable and innovative way.”
Whittier Tech’s 1,279 students come from Amesbury, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Ipswich, Merrimac, Newbury, Newburyport, Rowley, Salisbury and West Newbury.
In a statement, Whittier Tech Superintendent Maureen Lynch said the new campus proposal “has the potential to be truly transformative for our school and our economy.”
Collaboration between the two schools is not new. NECC president Lane Glenn said the two schools have been working well together for several years.
“With better paying jobs requiring some kind of postsecondary education and training, exploring an innovative shared campus model has tremendous potential for students, families, communities and the regional workforce needs of the Merrimack Valley,” Glenn said.
To study the proposal and conduct the listening sessions, UMass Donahue Institute (UMDI) was asked to produce a report by the end of the year. An NECC-WT Planning Group, described as “a team of creative, big-picture thinkers,” was asked to facilitate the process.
Led by NECC President Glenn, WT Supt. Lynch and UMDI Research Director Mark Melnik, the planning Group includes state Sen. Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester: Amesbury Mayor Kassandra Gove, Georgetown Town Manager Orlando Pacheco, Frank Bonet,
MassHire Merrimack Valley Workforce Board; Elizabeth Bennett, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; Erika Giampietro, MA Alliance for Early College, Juan Gallego, staff of Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll; Lou Mandarini, Jr., Laborers’ Local 22, plus UMDI and NECC staff
The Ipswich Board of Selectmen last week signed a memorandum that supports the proposal. And Newburyport Mayor Reardon, a critic of the original proposal, wrote that he is “hopeful this shared campus idea with NECC and Whittier is a possibility.”
Reardon signed a letter in support of exploring this option. He also speculated that the new proposal could trigger the cities and towns to enter into a new regional agreement with the Department of Education governing WT.
The cities and towns in the WT district are not happy with the current regional agreement that governs the vocational school.
Or for more information, visit https://www.whittiertech.org
