Amendment #25 to H4789

Improving access, opportunity, and capacity for Massachusetts vocational-technical education

Mr. Scanlon of North Attleborough moves to amend the bill by inserting the following new section:

Section XXXX

SECTION 1. Chapter 69 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following sections:-

Section 38. For the purposes of sections 39 through 42, inclusive, the following terms shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly requires otherwise:-

“Career technical education”, shall have the same meaning as vocational-technical education pursuant to section 1 of chapter 74.

“Career technical education program”, shall mean a vocational technical education program approved by the department pursuant to chapter 74.

“District of residence”, shall mean the school district of the city or town where a student resides.

“Office”, shall mean the office of career technical education.

“School of residence”, shall mean the middle school or junior high school a student attends within their district of residence. “School of residence”, shall mean the middle school or junior high school a student attends within their district of residence.

Section 39.  There shall be established within the department of elementary and secondary education an office of career technical education, whose purpose is to develop and implement policies and promulgate regulations to promote, enhance, and expand career technical education programs in the commonwealth and which shall be under the supervision and management of the deputy commissioner of career technical education. The deputy commissioner shall be appointed by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education, with the approval of the board. It shall be the duty of said deputy commissioner to improve and maximize career technical education throughout the commonwealth, and to collaborate with the board to promulgate regulations and develop and implement polices to enhance the commonwealth’s career technical education programs, including but not limited to the ensuring the enforcement of regulations relative to certificates of occupational proficiency.

Section 40. The office shall promote and support with available resources innovative and collaborative career technical education demonstration programs in which students split time between their comprehensive high school and a school offering programs under chapter 74; provided, that under such programs, participating students’ daily schedule shall include required academic classes and vocational courses when the equipment is available.

Section 41. (a) The office shall oversee all Chapter 74 approved programs and ensure compliance with M.G.L. Chapter 74 and related regulations.

(b) The office shall encourage and work to increase the use of articulation agreements with community colleges and public universities and other dual credit programs to allow career technical education students to earn credit and stacked credentials that lead to an associate’s degree.

(c) The office shall implement and promote efforts, including those related to student outreach and retention, to ensure that career technical education programs are accessible to all students, including English language learners, students with disabilities, and student populations traditionally underrepresented in career technical education programs. Such efforts shall include, but not be limited to (i) establishing a statewide marketing campaign to promote the success of vocational-technical education and careers in Massachusetts and to raise the level of awareness and understanding of such education among parents, students, businesses, labor unions, and the general public, and (ii) working to increase awareness of vocational-technical education and career opportunities among students in elementary schools, junior high schools, and middle schools.

(d) The office shall develop a model policy for public schools that ensures reasonable and equitable access for Chapter 74 programs to provide students enrolled in public schools with information about career technical programs. The model policy will include, but not be limited to: (i) providing schools offering Chapter 74 programs reasonable access during the school day at schools of residence to meet with all students and distribute information about vocational-technical education and careers to students, including English language learners, students with disabilities, students of color, and other student populations, to ensure that such information is provided equitably to all learners; (ii) providing schools offering Chapter 74 programs the opportunity to provide middle and junior high school students with information about vocational-technical programs and careers through mail and email; (iii) providing all middle school students an opportunity to tour, during regular middle school hours, the regional vocational-technical high school and/or county agricultural school of which the middle school’s city or town is a member, if applicable; and (iv) additional policies as the office deems reasonable and necessary to promote equitable access by all students to information about career technical education.

SECTION 2. Subsection (c) of section 14B of chapter 71 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the third sentence and inserting in place thereof the following 2 sentences:-

“Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, a city or town may simultaneously be a member of a vocational regional school district and any other type of regional school district. A city or town that belongs to a regional vocational school district may offer a vocational technical education program in its municipal high school; provided, however, that the program is approved under section 2 of chapter 74 of the General Laws; provided, further, that a vocational regional school district and any other type of regional school district serving the same town shall collaborate through the office of career technical education in offering reciprocal non-competitive programs under chapter 74 of the General Laws; provided, further, that said programs meet the labor market needs in a community’s region as determined by Regional Workforce Boards.”

Additional co-sponsor(s) added to Amendment #25 to H4789

Improving access, opportunity, and capacity for Massachusetts vocational-technical education