Passaic County may link PCTI and PCCC

By: David M. Zimmer
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... Passaic County commissioners have a month to sign off on the pursuit of a $25 million state grant for a project that could link the technical institute and the community college in Wayne physically and academically.
..... The initiative, broached by officials at the high school and Passaic County Community College, would connect existing facilities on the adjacent campuses with a 65,000-square-foot academic wing. It would also usher in a new life science collaboration between the schools to satisfy area demand for workers in biotech, said Ted Szczawinski, assistant superintendent at Passaic county Technical Vocational School.
..... Students in the program would be able to graduate from the high school with 60 credits and an associates degree from the college, eh said.
..... "This idea of getting an associate's degree while in high school is a game-changer for Passaic County," said Steven Rose, the community college's president.
..... Called a godsend by Commissioner Bruce James for its ability to make college more affordable, the project hinges on county officials[ obtaining a grant through the state's Securing Our Children's Future Bond Act. Approved by the Legislature in 2018, the bond act allocated $275 million to county vocational school districts for construction projects that fuel programs designed to meet economic development goals and labor market demands.
..... The application deadline is March 1. [2021] County commissioners would need to approve a resolution of support by then to pursue the grant, which would require a 25% contribution from the county coffers, state records show.
..... If executed, the project would link the high school's STEM academy with the college's Public Safety Academy and ultimately lead to a four-year annual enrollment increase of 200 students at the high school, officials said. the additional 800 students would take enrollment at the school to nearly 4,300, or roughly 1,200 more than New Jersey's second-largest non-charter public school, records show.
..... County Commissioner T.J. Best said he expects push-back, as the expansion is likely to sap students from nearby high schools, such as Lakeland and Manchester Regional. It is also likely to serve a high-performing, college-bound population of students - rather than those who want to pursue a vocation, such as carpentry, welding or HVAC repair, Best said.
.... "We're moving away from the traditional vocational trades and more so into the trades that require additional educational attainment," Best said.
..... School officials remain committed to providing a wide range of opportunities form STEM to special education, but demand for life sciences is growing, Szczawinski said. Students are seeking an education they can't get in their local high school or at the technical school now, he said.
..... "We have an unmet need in the county for life sciences programs. They're coming to us," Szczawinski said. "We don't have the space."
..... Another expansion at PCTI after the 2018 opening of the $30 million, grant-offset STEM academy could also propose logistical problems, said county Commissioner Assad Akhter. Traffic and busing considerations need to be examined, as do the needs of residents who live far from the Wayne campus, he said.
..... "We just keep adding to PCTI," he said. "I don't know if it makes more sense to have different academies at one campus or to be spread out throughout the county.
..... Officials from both schools said the project to link the campuses makes the most sense dollar per dollar. The wing to like the schools would be pure academic space, as there is no need for a new cafeteria or gym. The space could also be sued for adult programming at nights and on weekends by either school," he said.
...."It's the greatest opportunity for the future of the county, as we move forward," Szczawinski said.

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