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Sachem weighs bringing more CTE programs in-house, tightens criteria for BOCES placement
Summary
Following a review of Career and Technical Education (CTE) enrollment and costs, the board discussed proposals to require stronger in-district eligibility standards for BOCES placement and to develop selected career programs locally to reduce costs and travel time for students.
At the Jan. 22 Sachem Central School District Board of Education meeting, administrators reviewed a multi-year rise in students sent to Eastern Suffolk BOCES for Career and Technical Education (CTE) and described plans to tighten eligibility and to pilot returning some CTE pathways to Sachem schools.
A district staff presenter summarized a three-year snapshot showing wide variation in BOCES CTE enrollment: the 2015–16 school year had roughly 107 students sent to BOCES (about $1.5 million cost to the district), 2021–22 about 65 students (roughly $1 million), and 2024–25 about 216 students (roughly $3.5 million). The presenter said the district currently pays on a three-year rolling average and that the recent surge raised the district's three-year bill.
The administration proposed several changes to reduce unnecessary expense while preserving student opportunity: require home-school attendance benchmarks and review discipline records before approving applications; require students to meet a minimum attendance threshold at BOCES during the early weeks of the program; add more district-level screening before applications are forwarded to BOCES; and explore bringing selected programs in-house where district capacity and demand make that feasible. The presentation said programs such as carpentry, cosmetology and welding have strong in-district foundations and could be candidates for in-house CTE pathways; other programs (for example, certain large-scale automotive or culinary facilities) may remain at BOCES because of facility or certification requirements.
On proposed eligibility, district staff described a recommended attendance threshold in the home school and at the BOCES site (staff referenced a 15-day threshold in discussion as a plausible starting point for review) and said staff will create a formal set of criteria for board review. Michelle (finance staff) told the board the district receives roughly 39—40 percent state reimbursement for CTE-related spending, so some of the expense is aid-eligible, but the district nevertheless pays a significant portion up front.
Board members, parents and staff who spoke supported retaining and growing CTE opportunities but pressed for clearer application and attendance rules so that the district does not pay for students who do not participate. Multiple members asked administrators to prepare data showing student outcomes (attendance, discipline, subsequent graduation or college-credit attainment) for students who attended BOCES versus comparable in-district pathways.
District staff said they will return with: a proposed eligibility policy for BOCES applications; a prioritized list of candidate programs and estimated costs to develop equivalent in-district pathways (including potential partnerships with local colleges); and student-level data on BOCES attendance and outcomes for board review.
Ending
Administrators said the goal is to preserve life-changing CTE options for students while reducing avoidable cost and travel time; the board asked for a formal policy proposal and outcome data before making programmatic or fiscal changes.
