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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2005 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 330
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
John J. Cronin
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act to end discriminatory outcomes in vocational school admissions.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :John J. CroninWorcester and MiddlesexVanna Howard17th Middlesex1/30/2025 1 of 3
SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2005 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 330
By Mr. Cronin, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 330) of John J. Cronin and Vanna
Howard for legislation to ensure that all students have an equal chance of being admitted to
vocational programs. Education.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 2667 OF 2023-2024.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
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An Act to end discriminatory outcomes in vocational school admissions.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 Chapter 74 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 5B the
2following section:-
3 Section 5C. (a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the
4following meanings:
5 “Eligible applicant”, a student that meets the requirements to be promoted to the
6applicable grade. Any admission offered to an applicant before having been promoted to the
7applicable grade shall be contingent only upon promotion.
8 “Department”, the department of elementary and secondary education. 2 of 3
9 (b) If there are more eligible applicants than spaces available from a sending community
10for admission to a vocational-technical school or vocational-technical program within a
11vocational-technical school or comprehensive high school, whether or not the program is
12approved under this Chapter and including exploratory programs, the school shall hold a lottery
13to determine which of the sending community’s applicants shall be admitted.
14 (c) Each school district may consider attendance and discipline for entry to the lottery.
15 (d) Each school shall place eligible applicants who entered the lottery but were not
16admitted on a waitlist, the order of which shall be determined by the lottery. The waitlist shall
17include the names, home address, telephone number and grade level of such students and any
18other information the department deems necessary. The school shall forward the waitlist to the
19department of education no later than June 1 in the year in which the lottery is held. The
20department shall maintain a consolidated waitlist in order to determine the number of individual
21students in each city or town seeking admission to vocational-technical education schools and
22programs. If a school fills a vacancy after the initial admissions cycle is completed, said school
23shall fill the vacancy with the next available student on the waitlist and shall continue through
24the waitlist until a student fills the vacant seat.
25 (e) The commissioner shall collect application, admission, enrollment, and waitlist data
26pertaining to at a minimum race, ethnicity, students with disabilities, economically
27disadvantaged students, and English language learners. The commissioner shall also collect data
28on the number of students enrolled in each vocational technical education program receiving
29services pursuant to chapter 71A, chapter 71B or both. The commissioner shall annually file said 3 of 3
30data with the clerks of the house and senate and the joint committee on education and make said
31data available to the public online not later than November 1.
32 (f) The board shall promulgate regulations for implementation and enforcement of this
33section.