The Harwood Unified Union School District Board recently heard a proposal from the Central Vermont Career Center to create a multi-community school district for the career center.
Creating this new district would allow the 18 towns that send students to the center to have a role in its operation, participation in decision-making, vote on its budget and create buy-in.
The proposal which will come before voters at Town Meeting next year would create a 10-member board with one school board member from each of the six sending districts and four at-large members from the four communities with the largest districts, including Harwood. Harwood, Montpelier, Spaulding, Twinfield, Cabot and U-32 send students to the CVCC. This year, 30 Harwood students are attending the career center.
The career center offers classes in automotive technology, building trades, baking and culinary arts, cosmetology, co-op, electrical technology, digital media, exploratory technology, emergency services, medical professions, natural resources and sustainability, and plumbing and heating. There is interest and demand for a welding program, but currently there is no room for one. This type of course work is not offered at Harwood.
This year the school has over 200 students enrolled and received more than 350 applications from students to attend. The school may need to expand its space or find new space to meet the demand for its services.
The issues of governance and creating a new board may seem dry, but they are the critical first steps to potentially expanding what is already a very strong vocational education program that is critically needed in our communities and beyond. (Tried finding a plumber or electrician recently?)
Not all students are destined for a four-year degree after high school. The ability for those graduates to begin working towards a career path is critical for them and just as critical for local employers. We will all be well-served by robust opportunities for students to pursue professional, career-based education.
There will be more details to come about governance and the new board before the Town Meeting 2022 vote. Let’s make sure this stays on the front burner for our own school board and the students in our school district.
