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Bath Central outlines new CTE pathways and a plan to secure ACE credits and BOCES aid
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Summary
School officials proposed three on‑site CTE endorsement pathways — carpentry, pre‑engineering and media arts — and outlined a plan to secure ACE (early‑college) credits, post‑secondary articulation and BOCES aid to cover college‑credit costs. The state application is due in 2026 with phased implementation planned for Sept. 2027.
Bath Central School District administrators on April 22 proposed creating three career and technical education (CTE) endorsement pathways and described how the district plans to use state early‑college rules and BOCES aid to fund college credits for students.
The board heard a presentation that identified carpentry/building construction, pre‑engineering/advanced manufacturing and media arts as the district’s priority CTE endorsements. Administrators said the pathways rely largely on courses already offered locally and on securing post‑secondary articulation agreements so students can earn college credit while in high school.
Board members were told the district plans to pursue ACE (early‑college) approval and post‑secondary articulation agreements with regional colleges. A district official said Corning Community College provides many of the current dual‑enrollment courses in the region but that some courses (for example a college‑level trigonometry course) may require agreements with other colleges, such as Alfred or TC3, because of community‑college territorial arrangements.
Officials described the funding approach in detail. Under current guidance the district can submit for BOCES aid reimbursement for the portion of teacher FTE (salary and benefits) devoted to ACE/dual‑enrollment instruction; those reimbursements can also cover some materials. “We are able to submit for reimbursement the FTE or the time that the teacher is now paid … and get aid back on that,” one presenter said. The board was told that, while some community colleges are re‑examining their finances, the district’s plan is to use the available BOCES/ACE mechanisms so the program is budget‑neutral to the district over time.
Members discussed timing and next steps. Administrators said the state ACE application is due in 2026 and full implementation at scale is planned to start in September 2027, adding that some courses will be offered sooner if approvals arrive. The presentation also highlighted potential ACE‑aidable expenses beyond salaries — including certain consumables and equipment for art or technical labs — that the district can submit for reimbursement.
The presenter asked the board for support to continue pursuing post‑secondary articulation agreements and ACE approvals so the district could offer dual‑enrollment credit on campus and reduce barriers for students who otherwise would have to pay for college credits out of pocket.
What’s next: District staff will pursue the required post‑secondary articulation agreements, finalize applications for ACE designation where needed and return to the board with formal recommendations on specific ACE course approvals and any required purchase orders or contracts.
(Reporting note: the meeting transcript alternately refers to the district as “Bass Central” in some speaker turns; the district’s official name is Bath Central School District. Where transcript spelling varied, this article uses the district’s standard spelling.)
