Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Career And Technical Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Niagara Falls expands high‑school construction trades program; students to work on local properties
Summary
The district has enrolled 45 students in construction trades, will rent space at the Neck for storage and work, and plans partnerships with the city for hands‑on projects; administrators said some students prefer in‑district vocational training to BOCES.
The Niagara Falls City School District told the board on Sept. 11 that enrollment in a high‑school construction trades program has reached 45 students and the district is renting space at a site known as “the Neck” for storage and hands‑on learning projects.
Administrators said the construction trades students will use the Neck for storage, to complete minor carpentry and rehabilitation projects and to apply classroom learning to real work. The district said students will undertake small repair and carpentry tasks and help rehabilitate portions of the Neck property under supervision; administrators said they did not expect students to perform major mechanical or HVAC installations.
Board members and administrators suggested expanding practical partnerships. One board member proposed a multi‑year collaboration to rehabilitate the city’s unused nine‑hole golf course (the formerly paired red nine), providing students with landscaping, horticulture and maintenance experience; the district said it would contact city officials and local vendors about a pilot.
Administrators said the program intentionally keeps students in‑district rather than sending them to BOCES because students prefer staying in their school community and because Big Picture (the alternative program) students who have struggled in traditional settings are participating. “Our kids like to stay in our school. They like to be with their peers,” an administrator said.
District leaders, board members and staff said the program could grow beyond 45 students in future years and discussed potential steps to expand facilities and partnerships if enrollment increases. No formal action or budget appropriation was taken Sept. 11; administrators said short‑term rental and program agreements will be brought back for board approval if required.
