ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, VA (Rocktown Now) – According to a news release, the Rockingham County School Board remains dedicated to providing exceptional career and technical education (CTE) opportunities for students and the community. As part of their responsibility to ensure the long-term sustainability and growth of these programs, they are exploring all available options to enhance CTE offerings.

For more than 60 years, Rockingham County Public Schools (RCPS) and Harrisonburg City Public Schools (HCPS) have maintained a joint operating agreement for Massanutten Technical Center (MTC), ensuring students from both divisions have access to high-quality career and technical education. While this long-standing partnership has served both communities well, it is reasonable and necessary to explore updates to the governance structure to ensure that financial contributions and decision-making authority remain aligned.

Under the current agreement, RCPS covers 80% of MTC’s operating and capital costs, while HCPS contributes 20%. However, the funding model does not reflect actual student enrollment. HCPS students make up over 30% of enrollment in at least one course and account for 23.5% of total enrollment. Despite this, many RCPS students remain on the waitlist due to limited available seats.

Despite this financial and enrollment disparity, governance of MTC remains evenly split (50/50) between the two school boards. The MTC Executive Board consists of six HCPS school board members and five RCPS school board members, with only 10 voting members at any given time. If all members are present, one HCPS board member must recuse their vote to maintain the balance. However, if any RCPS members are absent, HCPS retains full voting power, effectively shifting the decision-making authority in a way that does not reflect financial or student representation.

RCPS said they believe that governance structures should be fair, transparent, and reflective of both financial contributions and student enrollment. Exploring adjustments to the voting model is not a challenge to the partnership but rather a responsible and necessary conversation to ensure equitable representation in decision-making.

For more information about MTC, view the articles below:

MTC governing board meeting has divisive vote – Rocktown Now