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Elmwood Park board hears plans for Crusader Career Village and an ETA electrical boot camp
Summary
District presenters described an 18–21 transition program, a proposed three‑zone Crusader Career Village for hands‑on learning shared with neighboring districts, and a new partnership with ETA to offer an electrical boot camp for juniors and seniors beginning 2026–27, including OSHA certification and about 200 instructional hours.
The Elmwood Park Board of Education on Monday heard detailed proposals to expand career and transition programming, including an ’18–21’ transition program and a planned Crusader Career Village designed to host hands‑on, work‑based learning for district and regional students.
Superintendent Dr. Aya Kennedy introduced the presentations and said the district will continue to "offer a different options to all of our students," before turning the floor to educators leading the initiatives.
Miss Verono outlined the 18–21 transition program that provides work‑based enterprise experiences. She said students have produced seasonal items for staff — "check‑mix, pearler bead creations, and most recently sensory sand kits for preschool classrooms" — as part of learning tasks that range from marketing to packaging.
"This work allows students to experience the full cycle of work‑based enterprise from designing flyers and marketing products to managing Google forms and orders, creating and assembling items and finally packaging and delivering products throughout the district," Verono said.
Presenters said the program’s growth has outstripped available space and proposed the Crusader Career Village, a three‑zone design with a Market Street corridor of storefront‑style programs, a middle flexible training zone and a life‑skills instruction area. The presenters described the space as intended to be shared with neighboring districts for community‑based instruction and transitional training.
Miss D. Martino and Miss Teranova announced a partnership with a provider called ETA to launch an electrical boot camp for juniors and seniors in 2026–27. They said ETA is a U.S. Department of Labor–recognized RTI provider and distinguishes itself from existing partners by offering a direct licensure pathway. According to the presenters, students would earn OSHA certification and complete roughly "200" hours of coursework as part of the pathway toward apprenticeship.
Miss Teranova said the ETA offering will include AM and PM scheduling options and the district hopes ETA will expand into HVAC and plumbing in later years. "We want to give our students a direct path to a career," she said.
Board members praised the expansion of career and technical education during the meeting’s later comments. Several said alternative pathways are important for students who do not intend to pursue four‑year college degrees.
The board heard the presentations and did not take a vote on the proposals during the meeting; presenters said work would continue on planning, partnerships and space needs.
