By Josh Resnek
The School Department unveiled an expanded Vocational Chapter 74 program in a presentation before the City Council Monday evening at city hall.
Led by Assistant School Superintendent Charles Obremski, the presenters detailed a vastly expanded vocational program intended to serve about 475 8th grade school children and 105 sophomores.
The new program is expected to be in place when schools open next September.
The meeting Monday night before the
council was informational, and most of the councilors appeared impressed with the program parameters.
“This expansion of the vocational opportunities for our students will cost about $700,000,” said Obremski.
“The savings comes from our school system not having to transport kids to the vocational school and back and to pay for those kids educations,” he said.
How to achieve this?
The plan as laid out Monday night is to expand the current carpentry, culinary arts, health assisting and machine tool technology with two new programs – hospitality management and marketing.
A major part of the cost for the expanded program is the estimated $326,000 it will take to recon gure the existing spaces where the programs presently occupy.
Additional construction costs are estimated at $122,00.
Furniture and equipment will cost $110,000.
The School Department offered detailed marketing studies which reveal the need for qualified younger people to enter the job market with the skills offered inside the public schools.