Decline in enrollment of Saugus students at the Voke School concerns town manager

By Mark E. Vogler

Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree said he remembers the days when the enrollment of Saugus students at Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational School averaged 196 a year. “We’re down to 122 students,” Crabtree told the Finance Committee Wednesday night during a discussion of the Voke School budget for the 2025 fiscal year that begins July 1.

“Not having the same capacity is concerning,” he said.

Crabtree and other town officials say they are concerned about the possibility of the downward trend continuing when a new Voke School is built.

“We should do whatever we can to advocate for more space,” Crabtree said. Crabtree called the Voke “a great school of choice” and an important educational option for Saugus children to be able to consider.

Recent data over a five-year period (2019-23) shows that the Saugus enrollment at the Voke as of last Oct. 1 had dropped from 179 to 125. Crabtree said he’s sought an explanation from the Voke administration in writing, but hasn’t received a response. “Something has changed, but nobody can explain what exactly has changed,” Crabtree said.

“To me, it’s about the students. I think the vocational school is very impressive. We would want more capacity,” he said.

Finance Committee Member Steven DiVirgilio thanked the town manager for his continued pursuit of answers, “because, clearly, we are getting screwed.”

In recent years, Finance Committee members have been critical of the Voke’s administration in providing information about Saugus as it relates to the vocational school district – particularly on future costs of the new Voke school that will be built in Wakefield. “Maybe next year we’ll have an opinion,” said Finance Committee Vice Chair George DeDomenico.

“We’ve asked these same questions in the past,” he said.

There were no representatives of the Voke administration attending Wednesday’s Finance Committee meeting. Precinct 2 Town Meeting Member Peter A. Rossetti, Jr., the longtime Saugus representative on the Northeast Metro Tech District School Committee, did show up at the first floor conference room after the meeting ended. Rossetti said he came “just in case” Finance Committee members had questions.

“During the last two years, they said they didn’t want us at the meetings anymore. They said they could read a budget and don’t need an explanation of what’s in it,” Rossetti told The Saugus Advocate.

“They don’t want us here because we are a budget they have no control over,” he said.

Rossetti said that had he been asked by the Finance Committee for an explanation of why the enrollment of Saugus students has been steadily declining, “I’d be happy to explain it any time.”

So, what’s the reason?

“Because Saugus has a new high school and kids are sticking in Saugus to go to the new school,” Rossetti said.

“When we have a new Voke School, the numbers will go up,” Rossetti said.

Northeast Metro Tech School Principal Carla Scuzzarella is a Saugus resident and Precinct 10 Town Meeting member. She has attended past Finance Committee meetings, but didn’t attend this year’s session.

Saugus, with a recent enrollment listed at 126 students, accounts for 9.4 percent of the students that make up the 12 members of the Voke school district. With its total assessment of $2,621,975 for the 2025 fiscal year budget, Saugus contributes the fourth highest total to the school district’s $22,390,182 total assessment, which includes the total operating assessment and the capital/debt assessment. Saugus’ total assessment for the 2025 fiscal year ($2,621,975) is $1,917 more than the current fiscal year and includes $488,201 for the new school project, according to the Voke’s 2025 budget passed by the district School Committee on April 11.

Saugus has about 5.7 percent of the eighth grade population of students in the school district, which is used to calculate the number of seats the town is entitled to, according to Rossetti.