State officials, consultants outline statewide CTE BOCES with AOE oversight

At a Feb. 27 meeting, members of the Vermont House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development heard a plan to create a statewide Board of Cooperative Educational Services, or BOCES, to coordinate career and technical education (CTE) across the state while retaining the Agency of Education (AOE) as the state oversight entity.

Proponents said the BOCES would centralize routine administrative functions and program coordination while preserving local CTE centers’ day-to-day control of instruction and local employer partnerships. AOE officials and APA Consulting presented the structure and answered lawmakers’ questions about representation, appointment, and the transition timeline.

The BOCES proposal is intended to maintain existing CTE centers, remove administrative burdens on individual centers, and standardize systems across the state, proponents said. AOE would continue to perform state-level monitoring and compliance—including federal Perkins fund oversight and site visits—maintain statewide data and reporting, and coordinate with postsecondary and…