Harrisonburg School Board votes to withdraw from Massanutten Technical Center after governance dispute

The Harrisonburg City School Board voted on Aug. 5 to withdraw from the Massanutten Technical Center (MTC), citing irreconcilable differences with Rockingham County over governance, voting structure and a contemporaneous procurement process for a proposed new MTC facility.

The board’s resolution, read aloud by Dr. Matt Cohen, says the two jurisdictions have worked together since the 1970s but that recent negotiations—including a Rockingham-proposed redline operating agreement and a county-led RFQ/RFP for a possible new building—have revealed “differing and irreconcilable perspectives” on the school’s governance and facility planning. The withdrawal is set to be effective June 30, 2027.

Why it matters: MTC is a regional career and technical education program serving both Harrisonburg and Rockingham County students. Board members said the county’s proposed changes—most notably a voting reallocation and a tie-breaking provision that would give Rockingham County the deciding vote in split decisions—would reduce Harrisonburg’s ability to protect its students’ educational interests. Board members also raised process concerns after learning the county had initiated procurement activity for a new facility without full participation from the MTC Executive Board or HCPS staff.

Board members and superintendent: Dr. Cohen, who moved the resolution, framed the retreat as a last resort after months of negotiation. Superintendent Dr. Richards and other board members documented a timeline beginning with Rockingham’s early-year proposal to change the MTC operating agreement, a redline sent March 10, public statements that Harrisonburg officials said misrepresented HCPS’s financial share, and an RFQ/RFP procurement path that Harrisonburg leaders say bypassed the Executive Board’s earlier decision to renovate the existing facility.

On the substance of the financial dispute, HCPS leaders said the operating-agreement budget mechanism splits an administrative portion (15%) equally between the two divisions and allocates the remaining 85% by student enrollment; capital funding is allocated by fractional ownership (20% Harrisonburg / 80% Rockingham). HCPS officials said that because of those rules, last year Harrisonburg paid about 29% of the operating costs though it accounted for roughly 23% of students — disputing county public statements that Harrisonburg contributed only 20%.

Dissent and vote: During roll-call, Miss Siegel abstained; Miss Laughlin, Dr. Cohen, Mr. Snyder, Dr. Halley and Chair Phillips voted aye. The motion carried.

What’s next: The resolution directs the superintendent and the school board clerk to coordinate withdrawal notifications with Rockingham County and to fulfill HCPS’s operational and financial obligations through the effective date. Board members stressed they remain committed to career and technical education for Harrisonburg students and said the division will plan alternative CTE pathways should the partnership end.

The board emphasized the decision was not reached lightly: members praised MTC’s contributions to the region over five decades but said the recent combination of governance changes, procurement activity and perceived misinformation left them with no viable path forward under the proposed operating agreement.