Vocational school admission change quietly dropped from state budget deal
The amendment, filed by Rep. Frank Moran, D-17th Essex, also called for the creation of a task force that would study and make recommendations about vocational school admissions.
The amendment was included in the House of Representative's standalone bill for the FY26 budget but was not included in the final bill agreed upon by House and Senate members.
Lawmakers from both chambers are expected to vote on the budget agreement Monday afternoon.
'You move forward,' Moran said about his amendment not being included.
On May 20, the state's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education approved the new admissions policy, requiring voc-tech schools with more applicants than open seats to use a lottery for their admissions.
The lottery system will go into effect for the 2026-2027 school year.
Some advocates of voc-tech schools have said in the past that previous criteria for enrollment, such as grades and recommendations, lead to a disproportionate exclusion of special needs students, economically disadvantaged students, students of color and English language learners in schools.
A federal discrimination complaint challenging the previous admission processes was filed in 2023 by students and civil rights groups who argued the processes were exclusionary.
The complaint was filed on behalf of four students and the Vocational Education Justice Coalition, a group of 20 community, union and civil rights groups that have previously advocated for a lottery system, according to the coalition's website.
Members of the Vocational Education Justice Coalition, including The Massachusetts Teachers Association, the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance and the Greater Boston Building Trades Unions, did not immediately respond to requests for comments on Monday.
Gov. Maura Healey's administration proposed the lottery system to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, with members of her cabinet, including the governor herself, speaking in favor of the policy.
'While we continue to increase the number of seats in career technical education schools, we know that there are still more applicants than openings at many of the schools,' Healey said in a statement on May 20. 'Today's vote will help give all eighth graders more knowledge of their options and a better chance at being admitted to these schools.'
Moran, who represents a part of Lawrence — a city that is 82% Hispanic according to the U.S. census — believes that the lottery system would be detrimental to students of color.
He argued that white students are more likely to be randomly selected in the lottery because there are more of them than there are students of color.
In Massachusetts, 79% of the population is white, 13.5% are Latino, 9.6% are Black, 7.9% are Asian, 2.8% are a mix of two or more races and 0.6% are American Indian, according to the U.S. census.
'I think the decision that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education made to go forward with this change is going to be detrimental to our communities and across the Commonwealth,' Moran said. 'I think we need to explore other options and thats the reason why we wanted to put (forward) this amendment.'
Moran also filed a standalone bill that seeks to establish an admissions task force. The bill is still in committee and has not been brought to the House floor for a full vote, Moran said.
Timothy Murray, the CEO and president of the Worcester Chamber of Commerce, was also disappointed that Moran's amendment was not included in the final budget agreement.
'This lottery eliminates criteria like attendance, academic performance, & behavior from admissions decisions,' according to a statement from Murray that was posted on the Chamber of Commerce's X account Monday. 'It's not equity — it's a retreat from standards that help students thrive in hands-on learning environments.'
Last week, the Chamber of Commerce hosted a panel that featured school and business leaders from cities including Brockton, Springfield, and Worcester.
The members of the panel, which included Murray, all criticized the state's new policy, saying they preferred the previous admissions process based on interviews, grades, and recommendations.
'It is unfortunate and not where we need to be going,' Murray said.
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