Committee presses school leaders on co-op placements, equity while hearing vocational program updates

School leaders told the Springfield School Committee that vocational (Chapter 74) programs at Putnam and Scitech are expanding, but committee members pressed them for details after hearing that only a fraction of students who meet eligibility criteria have paid co-op or internship placements.

Principal George Johnson opened the Putnam presentation, describing the school’s mission and student outcomes. He highlighted improvements in attendance and a reduction in chronic absenteeism, and said the school expected graduation rates to return to the "97% range." Students onstage described hands-on shop experiences as formative; one student said, "Honestly, it influenced my growth as a person." These remarks preceded detailed program metrics and certification status: presenters said Putnam has 23 chapter 74-certified shops and strong SkillsUSA results.

Mister Santos, the district’s co-op coordinator, outlined placement criteria and the placement process. He said eligibility depends on competency and DESE program requirements (roughly 1.5 years of technical coursework), and described a minimum academic expectation of a "C average" (2.0) with no more than one F in completed quarters, along with teacher recommendations, attendance and behavior checks. Santos reported 87 co-op placements and 35 internships (122 students total) to date, and cited partnerships with unions, MassDOT, the DPW and local employers. "We are out there, hitting the pavement, trying to get more businesses to partner with us," he said.

Committee members pressed for more granular data after Santos said roughly 656 students could be considered eligible under the criteria but only 122 had placements. Vice Chair Naylor asked for a shop-level breakdown of eligible but unplaced students and for the district to explore additional funding streams so small employers can host paid interns. "If we are not talking about the issue as an issue, then people don't know that this is something that we need to talk about," Vice Chair Naylor said, urging the committee to put the topic on a CTE subcommittee agenda.

School staff and committee members also debated the policy allowing a single F in a completed quarter: several members worried that sending a student with an F to an employer could jeopardize ongoing partnerships if a placement does not meet employer expectations. School leaders said that the F could be in a non-shop course (for example, a PE grade) and that teacher sign-offs are required before placements proceed.

Joe Langone from SyTech described after-dark and day program capacity at the sister vocational site, noting day-program chapter 74 approvals in 2024 and plans to file intent-to-apply materials in June for new programs. He said after-dark enrollment stood at about 62 with capacity to grow and described recruitment plans starting in March.

Committee members requested follow-up information, including (1) counts of eligible-but-unplaced students by shop, (2) options for additional funding for paid placements, and (3) strategies to increase employer partnerships. Superintendent and staff committed to follow-up work and to bringing placement data and possible CTE subcommittee action back to the committee.

The committee adjourned after the presentations and Q&A.