BVT brings in more than $2 million in grants in FY2020
The Blackstone Valley Vocational Regional School District, with the assistance of its state legislative contingent, secured $2,084,321 in reimbursements and grants during its recent FY20 budget cycle with more approved toward future years.
“Our nationally recognized system has consistently pursued fiscal resources that complement local tax assessments,” said Kurtis Johnson, Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Operations. “BVT has remarkably amassed more than $70 million during the last 24 years alone, in non-tax supported assets.”
FY20 awards ranged from $751,188 (55 percent) reimbursement funds from the Massachusetts School Building Authority for the District’s self-funded roof repair project, to a $375,000 Workforce Skills Capital Grant to create a series of engineering innovation labs, to $500 for an American Revolutionary re-enactment, subsidized by the New England School Development Council.
The vocational technical system was the recipient of an $830,106 multi-year Skills Capital Grant, recently awarded by the Baker-Polito Administration. The highly competitive Governor’s Capital Skills Program will add multiple learning opportunities for students without impacting District town appropriations.
BVT will create two biotechnical laboratories that will respond to the anticipated growth of STEM-related occupations. The labs will feature state-of-the-art equipment designed to serve both academic and vocational instruction. The program will begin as a core science offering with concurrent certification, and college credit, in biomedical science. These courses will also enhance several vocational programs with additional lab space, including Health Services, Engineering, Dental, Post-Secondary Practical Nurse, Veterinary Assistant, and Advanced Manufacturing.
