On Wednesday, the Massachusetts School Building Authority board unanimously approved the concept of a new vocational high school in Pittsfield, Mass. The project now enters the design phase.The proposed 247,770 square foot building would replace the 45-year-old Taconic High School on Valentine Rd. in Pittsfield. Combining vocational and general education programming, the newly-constructed building would serve 920 students grades 9 through 12.
Democratic State Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier of Pittsfield has been a long-time supporter of a new vocational school.
“In order to build the workforce that we need for these manufacturing jobs we need to have a well-trained workforce and the vocational school is a very big part of that,” said Farley-Bouvier.
The estimated cost is $115 million. The city would pay $40 million of that, with the state covering the rest. The school is expected to open in the fall of 2018.