Trustees discussed prolonged talks with the City of Northampton and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) over the school’s admissions policy and took a procedural step to authorize the superintendent to negotiate a local sending agreement.

Administration told the board it had met with the mayor, the finance director and DESE to outline options after questions about whether the district could be required to admit all Northampton applicants under the updated admissions rules. The administration described a short‑term option — a template local sending agreement focused on the eight communities named in Oliver Smith’s will — that would allocate seats (the administration proposed 30 seats for Northampton based on a five‑year average).

Legal guidance cited in the presentation (an email from Tom Delmar and related materials) referenced 603 CMR 4.036(b), which administration said allows an admissions policy to include a cap or allocation when it is part of a local sending agreement. The administration said DESE engaged in the discussion and that the department expressed some pushback while also acknowledging the school’s unusual status as an independent vocational institution that is financially sustained by, but not a member of, the Northampton school district.

Administration also outlined midterm and long‑term options: a legislative fix to clarify Smith Vocational’s status in Chapter 74, section 24, and a multi‑year governance feasibility study run by consultants (Mars) to explore whether a governance model change would be appropriate.

On the board motion, a member moved to authorize Dr. Lincoln Hochert, the superintendent, to enter into a tentative local sending agreement with the City of Northampton with final language to be reviewed by the city solicitor; the motion was seconded and trustees recorded affirmative voice votes. The motion authorized negotiation and finalization of language rather than immediate execution of a full, multi‑district agreement.

The board instructed administration to continue engagement with DESE and local officials and to report back as negotiations and legal review proceed.