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Whittier Tech graduate urges expansion of early college pathways, cites $6,700 in savings
Summary
Aaron Baraby, a 2025 Whittier Tech graduate, told the school committee that early college saved him roughly $6,700 and nearly a semester of college; he urged adding language and advanced math early-college courses and a senior elective aligned to career pathways.
Aaron Baraby, a 2025 graduate of Whittier Tech and a policy advocate with the Massachusetts Alliance for Early College, told the Whittier Tech School Committee on April 8 that expanding the school's early college offerings would improve student access to college credit and career pathways.
"Early college allowed me to earn transferable college credits during high school that saved me both time and money," Baraby said, adding later, "I saved $6,700 worth of tuition and nearly a semester of time." He described completing two English and two social-science classes while in high school and said the structure helped him move into University of Massachusetts studies in industrial engineering with a minor in robotics and automation.
Baraby proposed three specific expansions: open pathways for early college language electives (he named French, Portuguese, German and American Sign Language), expanded early college math options (precalculus, economics and calculus) and a senior-year early college elective that would allow students to align an additional two-semester course with their career-technical pathway.
Baraby framed the proposals as both equitable and pragmatic, saying the skills would support employability for students across trades and could reduce time and cost of postsecondary education. He also said early college is scalable and that thousands of early college alumni across the state demonstrate the model's effectiveness.
A committee member responded positively to the testimony, calling early college "one of the best things we've done" and noting the state is expected to continue supporting the program. The committee did not take any immediate formal action to change program staffing or curriculum at the meeting; the superintendent later discussed budget items and a new confidential administrative assistant position included in the proposed budget.
Why it matters: Early college programs allow students to earn college credit while in high school and can reduce college costs and time to degree. Baraby's testimony called attention to specific course areas — modern languages and advanced math — that Whittier Tech might target to broaden academic pathways for career-technical students.
What’s next: The superintendent is advancing budget proposals and personnel requests this spring; any formal program expansion or course additions would require curriculum planning, staffing and potential budgeting decisions in future committee meetings.
