Shrewsbury, Leicester may partner to offer vocational education at former Becker College

Shrewsbury students could attend Leicester’s school as soon as January

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Shrewsbury School Committee heard a proposal to enter a Career Technical Education Partnership with Leicester, which would take place at the former Becker College.

Shrewsbury School Committee heard a proposal to enter a Career Technical Education Partnership with Leicester, which would take place at the former Becker College.

SHREWSBURY – The Shrewsbury School Committee is considering a partnership with Leicester High School that, if ratified, would dramatically increase the amount of Shrewsbury high-school-age students able to access vocational education – something the district has lacked since losing access to Assabet Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School.

During an Oct. 23 presentation by Leicester officials, the Shrewsbury School Committee learned about the possibility of entering a Career Technical Education (CTE) Partnership. The partnership could be ratified as soon as November, with some Shrewsbury students starting vocational training as soon as January.

“There’s a lot of ways this could be a real ‘win-win’ for both communities. I think that was laid out very clearly. We’re in the due-diligence phase now, for sure, now that this information is there … We’ll see if this is something that [could] connect Shrewsbury kids who are interested in a vocational-technical education who have not been able to get that at Assabet,” said Superintendent Joe Sawyer.

About the partnership

Shrewsbury and Leicester are in the “same boat” in some respects. After a change in state policy required vocational schools to give preference to students in their member communities, both towns lost access to Assabet. The towns currently do not have existing CTE agreements with other communities, and thus, a partnership between them “makes sense,” Leicester officials said.

Although Shrewsbury has introduced numerous initiatives designed to create opportunities for vocational-minded students – even briefly attempting to join the Assabet district – the town’s students still lack access to “true” vocational-technical programming. Roughly 110 students from Shrewsbury went to vocational programs in 2020, but that number is down to 22 as of Oct. 1.

While Shrewsbury and Leicester have had similar issues accessing vocational education, key differences between them would drive the proposed partnership. Whereas Shrewsbury has many interested students and too little space, Leicester has excess space and too few students. Leicester’s enrollment has dropped from 1,800 students in 2005 to roughly 1,200 today.

The vocational partnership would take place at the former Becker College, which closed in 2021 and had campuses in Worcester and Leicester. In what Leicester Superintendent Brett Kustigian called the “deal of a lifetime,” Leicester purchased 19 buildings on 44 acres of the Leicester campus in 2022 for $17.83 million. The district has been trying to convert the space into a vocational school since that time.

The effort focuses on four campus buildings. The Fuller Campus Center, built in 2012, is the centerpiece of the shuttered campus and is in excellent shape. The Borger Academic Library, Swan Library, and Lenfest Animal Clinic are also part of the plans, but are all 1960s-era structures and require renovations. Leicester has been in communication with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to fund renovations and “accelerated repairs.”

Students would walk from building to building to attend class – just like Becker students once did.

“Our task is to basically take a college campus and turn it into a high school,” said Kustigian.

Potential programs

The Shrewsbury-Leicester partnership would provide several vocational options to Shrewsbury students. The “Building and Property Management” pathway includes carpentry, electrical, plumbing, and more; Kustigian called it the “perfect trade to start with,” noting it incorporates multiple different skills.

“Early Education & Care” – a program in which students would earn their Child Development Associate (CDA) credential – is the second Leicester vocational program that is currently ongoing. Other proposed programs include “Health Assisting,” which trains aides and nursing assistants, and “Culinary Arts.”

An “Electrical” program may be coming to the school in 2026, and Leicester has plans to add a “Plumbing and HVAC” component come 2027. A “Veterinary” program that utilizes the existing vet center on campus may open by 2028.

Shrewsbury students may be able to access Leicester’s vocational education almost immediately; Leicester has proposed allowing 15 Shrewsbury students into the district as soon as January. The students would engage in a “pilot program” designed to help them explore which programs they enjoy most. The school could take 100 total Shrewsbury students in upcoming school years.

The school would cost Shrewsbury roughly $13,000 per student, and the town would pay for transportation costs. Leicester is about 30 minutes away from Shrewsbury High School via I-290. Shrewsbury students who enroll in the program would graduate from Leicester High School. The students would be eligible to participate in Leicester sports, clubs, and any other extracurricular activities.

The Leicester School Committee has voted to allow Shrewsbury as a partner to the vocational school. The Shrewsbury School Committee will vote at an upcoming meeting whether to sign a memorandum accepting the agreement. A copy of the memorandum viewed by the Community Advocate suggests that, if accepted, the agreement would run through the 2026-2027 academic year.

If the Shrewsbury School Committee accepts the deal, information will soon be distributed to families and students who may be interested in this vocational-technical opportunity.

Throughout the presentation, Leicester officials repeatedly emphasized that they believed Shrewsbury was the right partner for the project, with Kustigian mentioning his long-standing relationship with Sawyer. Leicester High School Principal Ted Zawada – a Shrewsbury resident – also presented.

“The opportunity to partner with such a well-respected educator [in Sawyer] and such a fine system like yours is just awesome for us. I think it’s a ‘win-win’ … The opportunity to partner with someone who has such knowledge is a wonderful thing for me, and I think it’s going to be a good thing for the Leicester community as well as the Shrewsbury community,” said Kustigian. “The stars have aligned for this.”

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