BOCES tells Tri‑Valley board CTE enrollment has grown to more than 740 students

Sullivan County BOCES officials told the Tri‑Valley Central School District Board of Education on Tuesday that career and technical education participation has increased sharply, with more than 740 students attending CTE programs across the BOCES campus.

Vicky Ferguson, director of finance and management services for Sullivan County BOCES, said the BOCES has expanded offerings and staffing to meet demand. "We have over 740 CTE students participating in our programs," Ferguson said, and she listed program enrollments including about 75 students in auto technology, more than 60 in welding and 95 in health occupations. Ferguson said roughly 42 percent of Tri‑Valley juniors and seniors now attend BOCES CTE programs.

The presentation covered both instructional and non‑instructional services. Ferguson described special education placements (11 Tri‑Valley students currently enrolled in BOCES special‑education programs), alternative‑education and middle‑school offerings, articulation agreements that allow students to earn college credit, and a suite of noninstructional services — central business office support, network and cybersecurity services and shared countywide purchasing and RFP coordination.

Ferguson highlighted a change to the state’s Early College Access COSER that the board had requested information on: when a district participates in the COSER it must pay tuition on behalf of participating students and may not charge parents, and the state now allows aid on a portion of teachers’ salaries tied to instruction under the program. "There can be no expenses to the individual students," Ferguson said, describing how districts submit a prorated salary formula for teachers who split time between district and early‑college instruction.

BOCES also described workforce and staffing initiatives: a New York State Department of Labor grant of $800,000 to support training for new teachers and a local pipeline of teaching assistants enrolled in a teacher‑training program. Ferguson said the BOCES has had challenges hiring certified special‑education teachers and is recruiting and training local candidates to fill gaps.

Superintendent and board members asked about cost effects on families, program capacity and implementation timelines for new offerings. Ferguson said the BOCES is also expanding Arts & Education purchases (allowing districts to buy instruments through BOCES and claim aid) and is out to bid for roofing and campus capital projects previously approved by the State Education Department.

The BOCES delegation included Vicky Ferguson, Mr. Stryker (vice president of the Sullivan County BOCES board) and Tammy Shabotynsky, the district’s BOCES representative. Tri‑Valley board members thanked the delegation and were invited to the BOCES annual meeting and campus exhibits scheduled in mid‑April.