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School Committee continues discussion of CTE expansion

Date: 6/13/2012

June 13, 2012

By Carley Dangona

carley@thereminder.com

CHICOPEE — Expansion of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) program at Chicopee Comprehensive High School was the main theme of discussion at last week's Chicopee School Committee meeting, due to increased student interest and current job market needs.

Marybeth Costello, Ward 9 School Committee member, cited a recent Time magazine article, "Learning That Works," regarding the need for applicants in technical careers and the recent encouragement by the U.S. government to rethink college due to technical employment needs.

"The driving force is jobs, jobs, jobs," Costello said, "There are jobs out there and the program enables students to fulfill careers that are needed [in the job market]. Many people can't afford college — there are many jobs available [to those] without a bachelor's degree."

Superintendent Richard Rege advised the committee that Kenneth Widelo, director of CTE, already plans to assess the CTE expansion during summer and publish a report of his findings by September.

Donald Lamothe, Ward 7 School Committee member, proposed a motion to refer the expansion needs of the CTE program to the finance department; and it subsequently passed, after being amended by School Committee At-Large member, Chester Szetela to refer it to the facilities department as well.

"For every new program we add, we could probably take an additional 15 to 20 freshman," Widelo said. "This will hopefully eliminate the waiting list."

As for the task of assessing the CTE needs for expansion, he stated, "It's like a domino effect; everything ties together. We're not going to be knocking down walls and adding additions. We're considering what we can do with the least amount of construction and in the most cost effective manner. It's a daunting task, but we're excited."



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