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Harrisonburg board votes to withdraw from Massanutten Technical Center after disputes over governance and procurement
Summary
After months of negotiations and disputed public statements about funding, the Harrisonburg City School Board voted to withdraw from the Massanutten Technical Center, citing irreconcilable differences over voting structure, seat allocation and a county-led procurement process for a proposed new build. The withdrawal is effective June 30, 2027.
The Harrisonburg City School Board voted to withdraw from the Massanutten Technical Center (MTC), citing a breakdown in trust over proposed changes to the regional center's operating agreement and concerns about a county-led procurement for a proposed new facility. The resolution passed in a roll-call vote with one abstention; it directs the superintendent to coordinate written notice in line with the operating agreement and sets an effective withdrawal date of June 30, 2027.
Board members said they could not accept proposed revisions that would give Rockingham County a permanent tie-breaking advantage and a markedly larger share of seats and votes. Chair Phillips summarized the board's position, reading the resolution that states the board "elects to withdraw from the Massanutten Technical Center pursuant to section 9.1 of the Massanutten Technical Center operating agreement as updated March 2022, effective as of 06/30/2027." Doctor Cohen, who moved the resolution, said the proposal would remove equal governance and leave Harrisonburg unable to "exercise responsibility for our students." The motion carried after a public discussion during which board members repeatedly described the county's redline as a nonstarter.
Superintendent Doctor Richards told the board he was not accusing anyone of wrongdoing but described procedural and procurement concerns after learning the county had advanced an RFQ/RFP and vendor presentations without meaningful HCPS participation. Richards summarized operating-cost splits in the current agreement and disputed the county's public framing of Harrisonburg's share, saying the documents show Harrisonburg paid more than the 20% often cited. "We end up paying 29% of that budget for 23% of the students," Richards said, underscoring the board's contention that the operating-cost narrative had been misstated in county communications.
Board members also flagged the timing of the procurement process and limited public input around a proposed new build; they described being excluded from early vendor and design steps and said that raised legal and fiscal risk for Harrisonburg. The resolution preserves the board's commitment to its operational and financial obligations through the effective date and directs staff to coordinate the withdrawal process with Rockingham County.
The board emphasized that withdrawing from MTC does not mean abandoning career and technical education for Harrisonburg students. Richards said the division would continue to develop CTE programs for students and that "we will always be committed to CTE." The board also asked staff to return with detailed plans for next steps, budgetary impacts and options for maintaining CTE opportunities for students beyond the MTC relationship.
