Councilors discuss Healey plan to add CTE seats and proposed lottery for admissions

Councilor Matthew Mitchison told the Haverhill City Council that Governor Maura Healey’s supplemental budget would include $75 million for career-technical education (CTE) grants intended to add about 3,000 new VOTEC (vocational-technical) seats statewide over three years and a proposed $100 million for “skills capital” grants to upgrade labs and expand program capacity.

Mitchison, who identified the Governor’s plan as containing “lots of good things,” said the proposal would also create a lottery for admissions to address equity concerns and would limit selective criteria to certain disciplinary or attendance rules. He said middle schools would be required to maintain district-wide policies to expose students to CTE options and that the overall package “fits into what we’ve been working on” to align K–12, community colleges, nonprofits and employers around career pathways.

The measures, Mitchison said, aim to expand opportunities but that the proposed lottery is controversial and may not fully resolve equity questions. “I like the intent,” he said, but added that the lottery “needs to be looked at in more detail.” He also said he has asked Representative Andy Vargas to notify the council when hearings on the bill are scheduled.

Mayor James Barrett told the council the city and local partners have met with Northern Essex Community College (NECC) stakeholders and others to explore models for expanding seats locally. Barrett said four MSBA (Massachusetts School Building Authority) model options remain under consideration, including building on existing campuses or developing a separate campus with shared uses; he said a feasibility study among the participating communities is the first hurdle and that the current intercommunity agreement likely requires the participating communities’ approval.

Vice President Jordan welcomed the additional seats and described the proposal as “promising,” while Councilor Toohey pressed on local impacts and costs, asking whether Haverhill could lose students under a lottery and noting the city’s per‑student cost for out‑placement to regional vocational programs (Toohey described the per‑student cost as approximately $9,800 and cited local enrollment figures as an estimate). Mitchison and others said the state’s plan to add seats statewide would allocate additional capacity to local VOTEC programs but likely would not eliminate demand pressures immediately.

Councilors and the mayor described ongoing local planning, including facilitated meetings and a possible feasibility study involving roughly 11 communities; Barrett said one community was not participating at present, which could require legislative action if it remains so. Councilors asked for follow-up reports; no vote or formal council action was taken at the meeting.

Why it matters: Enrollment and admission policies for regional vocational schools affect local students’ career pathways and municipal budgets for tuition and transportation. The state funding and capital grants under consideration could materially increase local opportunities if a regional plan and feasibility study proceed.

What’s next: Councilor Mitchison said he will share hearing dates when Representative Vargas provides them; Mayor Barrett said the local stakeholder group expects more detail within weeks.