Newton School Committee members heard a detailed follow-up on career and technical education (CTE) access and enrollment Nov. 3, with administration urging that adding three new programs and targeted investments would broaden opportunities for Newton South students.

Dr. Jean Rountree told the committee the district has applied to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to establish three new exploratory programs and shared side‑by‑side enrollment figures showing fewer Newton South students in the district's Chapter 74 CTE majors at Newton North but substantial participation in comparable introductory and advanced electives at South.

Rountree said comparable introductory electives at Newton South include Woodworking I (about 100 students), Culinary introductory electives (about 35), Architecture I (59), Intro to Child Development (65), and Video Exploration (9). She reported a total of roughly 287 students enrolled in introductory electives at South. For advanced electives she listed Woodworking II (26 students), a combined set of advanced culinary electives that totalled about 502 course enrollments (multiple quarter‑length culinary courses), advanced drafting (31), early education/dual enrollment pathways (222), and Digital Arts Foundations (35). Rountree cautioned that the course content, total hours, and depth are not always equivalent to a Chapter 74 program.

Committee members pressed the point. One member said, "these are very different things," noting that the Newton North culinary sequence is a depth‑focused, multiple‑year Chapter 74 program with a commercial kitchen and cafe that provides industry‑level preparation; Rountree agreed the programs are not "apples to apples" and stressed that South students nevertheless have opportunities to explore similar subject areas while the district works toward greater parity.

Rountree also reported spring course requests for the three exploratory programs the district seeks to start next year if funding and state approval are secured: dental assisting (9 North requests; 17 South), health assisting (97 North; 47 South), and information systems support/networking (2 North; 8 South). She said health assisting showed the largest single interest pool, aligning with regional workforce demand.

On policy, the committee approved two CTE related policies (JECA and JF) as second reads by unanimous vote. Administration noted the district has submitted a DESE application to support establishing the three programs and said any start dates will depend on state approval and the district's budget decisions.

Why it matters: Chapter 74 programs are state‑designated CTE pathways and typically require specialized facilities and multi‑year sequencing; the district's stated approach is to expand access by adding exploratory programs at Newton South and seek resources to align depth and facilities over time. The committee's approval of JECA and JF clears procedural obstacles for admissions and middle‑school pathways while the DESE grant process proceeds.

Next steps: The district will await DESE grant results (district staff said they expect word in December) and continue to refine program staffing and facility plans as part of the budget and capital planning processes. If state funding and local budget support are secured, administration said it will return with implementation timelines.