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Automotive teacher says aging 1968 shop is too small after new equipment and rising enrollment
Summary
Kristen, an automotive teacher, said a shop built in 1968 is too small to safely accommodate new, grant-funded equipment and growing student interest; she limits classes to 15 and said state square-footage guidance for the program was cited but not specified.
Kristen, an automotive teacher, said the auto shop where she teaches dates to 1968 and is too small to safely house new equipment and growing enrollment. She said she caps classes at 15 students and has had to turn away applicants because the room cannot safely accommodate more.
The teacher said the program received a grant that allowed the school to buy a new tire changer, wheel balancer, an alignment rack and a lift, among other items. "We applied for this grant that gave us enough money to buy some new equipment for our space," she said, but added that the new machines make the room feel even more crowded.
Kristen described the practical effects: "I have like 12 students in here working on cars. 12 to 15 students working on cars. You know, that can get pretty — it can get crowded especially if you put two vehicles in here." She said students across age levels are engaged and that vocational participation in automotive has risen recently.
She also raised safety and compliance concerns, saying there are Massachusetts square-footage expectations tied to a maintenance-and-light-repair program and the hours students receive, but she did not cite a specific regulation. "There's supposed to be a certain amount of square footage in your space you know according to the state of Massachusetts based on like the type of program you have," she said.
Kristen said a contractor will install a new lift next week and that the device must be wired and set up, a short-term disruption she expects will be followed by continued space constraints. "We can do it better," she said, urging improved facilities or other solutions so more interested students can enroll.
No formal decision, motion or funding allocation was recorded in the remarks provided; the comments were a description of classroom conditions, equipment purchases made with a grant and operational limits driven by space and safety.
The school or district was not named beyond the teacher's reference to being "here, mountain," and Kristen provided only her first name in the remarks.
