Pembroke School Committee Advances Plan to Join South Shore Vocational Technical High School
Joining would provide access to vocational education for up to 84 Pembroke students, but requires town approval of debt exclusion and operational override
PEMBROKE - March 25 - The Pembroke School Committee has voted unanimously to authorize Superintendent Erin Obey to engage in discussions to develop a regional agreement with South Shore Vocational Technical High School, taking a significant step toward potentially joining the district as its tenth member town.
The move comes as Pembroke students face increasingly limited access to vocational education opportunities, with no students accepted to South Shore Tech or Silver Lake in the past three years.
"We have promised to give a free, fair, public education to all kids, including those kids that are not ready to go to college," said School Committee Chair Patrick Chilcott. "This is actually helping our communities."
If approved, Pembroke would gain approximately 21 seats per year at South Shore Tech, with a full enrollment of about 84 students across all four grades. The process requires multiple approvals, including town meeting votes on the regional agreement and subsequent debt exclusion and operational override votes.
Superintendent Obey presented detailed information about the benefits of joining South Shore Tech, which currently serves nine member towns. The school offers traditional vocational shops along with comprehensive high school programs including athletics and clubs.
"When you are a member town to the vocational district, the students that are enrolled in those programs provide service back to the communities and towns from which they're from," Obey explained, noting projects in member towns have included donations to food pantries, veteran services work, and town hall renovations.
South Shore Tech Superintendent Tom Hickey, who attended the meeting as a volunteer advisor to Pembroke's planning process, emphasized the school's popularity.
"We're looking at about 400 applications for 180 freshman seats," Hickey said, explaining why non-member towns like Pembroke have struggled to place students in recent years.
The financial implications for Pembroke taxpayers would be significant. Joining would require a debt exclusion override of approximately $20 million for Pembroke's share of the new South Shore Tech building project, costing the average homeowner between $156 and $168 annually for 30 years.
Additionally, an operational override of approximately $2 million would be needed to cover tuition costs, which average about $16,001 per student. This would add approximately $282 to the average property tax bill.
"The total cost to taxpayers to join would be about $450 a year," Obey said.
Committee member Allison Glennon raised questions about the impact on Pembroke High School, which would see its enrollment drop from the current 697 students to approximately 625-630.
"What happens in five years to Pembroke High School? Like what does that look like?" Glennon asked.
Obey assured the committee that the high school would remain viable. "I don't think it would decimate Pembroke High School. I think we would still have a healthy high school."
The timeline for joining South Shore Tech spans several years. The committee plans to educate the community from April through September before placing a warrant article on the fall 2025 town meeting. If approved, the nine current member towns would vote on allowing Pembroke to join at their spring 2026 town meetings, with approval required by two-thirds of towns.
Following state approval, Pembroke could potentially send its first students to South Shore Tech in fall 2027.
Committee members expressed strong support for the plan, citing the need for vocational education opportunities.
"I think the education can absolutely happen now," Chilcott said regarding community outreach. "I would like to give the community some assurance that this is going to sit on a fall town meeting so that they then can begin to rally and get things moving."
Committee member Katrina Delaney emphasized the importance of preparing students for future job markets. "If we're looking at preparing our students for a world of tomorrow, we need to be looking at what jobs are going to be available."
Several community members spoke in support of the plan during public comment.
"As the parent of a second grader who his first crawling steps were towards a measuring tape and a hammer, and he's currently building robots in his spare time, I just want to say that I can't advocate enough for this," said one parent.
The committee plans to continue discussions and community education efforts in the coming months.
* The committee reviewed the FY26 athletic budget, noting that 40% of high school students participate in fall sports and 45% in winter sports.
* Superintendent Obey presented the facilities budget, highlighting challenges with maintaining five school buildings that are approximately 50 years old with 25-year-old renovations.
* The committee approved new course proposals for Pembroke Community Middle School, including more elective options and a medical detectives course.
* The 2025-26 school calendar was presented as a first read, with staff returning the Monday before Labor Day and a tentative last day of school on June 11, 2026.