Beverly High students describe career benefits of ‘After Dark’ partnerships with Essex Tech and Salem High

Beverly High School students and district leaders on Jan. 21 outlined how the district’s “After Dark” partnerships with Essex Tech and Salem High give juniors and seniors half-day academic schedules at Beverly and half-day vocational shop experience at partner schools.

School Committee members heard from guidance director Miss Ferrara and three students who attend the programs, and from Erin Brown, the district’s director of operations, who described funding and capacity constraints.

The After Dark model sends students to partner schools for shop classes in junior and senior year while they remain enrolled at Beverly High for academics. "They're in the classroom, but they also have the opportunity to go out and do a co-op," Miss Ferrara said. She added that students earn about 900 hours toward certification in their field and can graduate with a career-ready credential as well as a high school diploma.

Why it matters: Committee members and administrators said the programs offer an alternative pathway to college that places career credentials "in a student's pocket" at graduation. Superintendent Sue Trocak and district leaders also emphasized the cost and budgeting questions the district must resolve to sustain and expand the partnerships.

Students described how the programs shaped their plans. "I never saw myself working with plants, but now I do," said Sophia, a senior in Essex Tech’s sustainable horticulture program. "I would definitely recommend it for students in the future." Jaira Chandler, a senior in Essex Tech’s health assisting program, said the program offered practical experience relevant to her intended college and career path: "It gives you a good experience of the work field." Colby Flynn, a student in Salem High School’s automotive technology program, said the training gave him mechanical skills and new peer connections: "I've been able to learn how to service on my car. I've also acquired my 10 hour OSHA card."

District context: Erin Brown said the district used grant funds to launch the partnerships and has covered start-up differentials while seeking sustainable budget lines. Brown told the committee the district must budget the ongoing per-student differential as grant funding phases out: "We need to make sure that when we build the budget, we're budgeting to make sure that we're carrying the differential." Committee members asked for clear per-student cost figures as they prepare the next fiscal-year budget.

Officials said the district currently pays a differential for students sent to partner schools under Massachusetts school finance rules. The district noted timing issues with Chapter 70/Chapter 74 funding: state CTE differentials arrive in district allocations in arrears, which complicates cash flow and budgeting.

Program scale and admissions: Miss Ferrara said Essex Tech runs multiple trades for After Dark students — examples listed included health assisting, sustainable horticulture, construction craft laborers and advanced manufacturing — and that Beverly is among the larger sending districts. Salem’s offerings for Beverly students include automotive technology (16 juniors and seniors enrolled this year) and medical assisting (six students), the committee was told. Application and interview timelines were described: informational presentations in January for current sophomores, parent meetings in February, applications in late February, interviews in March and acceptances around April.

Questions and limits: Committee members pressed whether Beverly could open its own CTE programs. Brown and district staff said the district could pursue in-district programs but would face DESE (Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) requirements for Chapter 74 approval, equipment and certified staff. The district also has a non-compete-like understanding with Essex Tech tied to regional seat availability; any in-district proposal would need DESE approval and demonstration of unmet demand.

Next steps: The committee asked administration to continue factoring program differentials and grant timelines into the FY26 budget planning, to report back with clearer per-student cost breakdowns, and to continue outreach to partner schools about capacity and potential new offerings.

Ending: Committee members praised students for presenting and encouraged the administration to keep the programs central in budget planning as Beverly balances enrollment growth, space constraints and career-technical demands.