By Calvin Pynn, contributor
The Harrisonburg City School Board voted Tuesday night to end a nearly six-decade partnership with the Rockingham County School Board to jointly operate the area’s vocational and professional school.
The move means that the city school district’s involvement with the Massanutten Technical Center will conclude at the end of the 2026-2027 school year. The board voted unanimously to adopt a resolution withdrawing from MTC’s executive board — although board member Kaylene Seigle abstained, citing a personal connection to MTC.
Tuesday’s decision comes after months of back-and-forth between Harrisonburg and Rockingham County’s school boards as the county board has sought greater control over the school.
The city school board’s chair, Emma Phillips, lamented the decision, comparing it to the end of a more than 50-year marriage. However she also acknowledged that the dissolution of the partnership between the two school boards would be necessary for both parties moving forward.
“These conversations [over MTC] have eaten up a lot of time and energy…emotional energy,” Phillips said during Tuesday’s meeting. “I hate that this is where we are, but we are two different entities from when we started this school.”
In seeking more voting power on the school’s executive board, county board members have cited larger financial contributions and higher student enrollment from the county. Because the county has more students enrolled in MTC than the city, the county pays more than 70% of the operating expenses. The county board members, starting in January, proposed changes to the MTC executive board’s voting structure, leadership roles and seat allocation to give the county board a majority of votes.
City school board members, on the other hand, have insisted on maintaining equal representation on MTC’s executive board, which is required by law for all participating school divisions regardless of funding or student enrollment numbers. They have also cited the long-standing 50/50 partnership between the city and county, and increasing interest in career and technical education among students in Harrisonburg.
Tensions were heightened as the county school board explored building a new MTC facility without the HCPS board’s involvement or MTC executive board’s approval. The proposed facility has been referred to as a “farm school,” as it would expand on the agricultural education programs MTC offers and could potentially be located on a larger plot of land further into Rockingham County.
Tim Howley, the city school board’s vice chair, said during the meeting that he felt uncomfortable with the possibility that Harrisonburg taxpayers would be saddled with the cost of a new facility.
“I’m not going to sit back and have Harrisonburg residents write a paycheck for a farm school in the county,” Howley said.
While the decision will mark an end to city schools’ involvement with MTC, Superintendent Michael Richards said during the meeting that the city school district would still be committed to providing career and technical education for city public school students.
“We want to expand CTE options, it’s such an important part of our children’s education,” Richards said. “We’ll build a program that meets our students’ needs.”
Although it is still too early to plan for what that will look like in HCPS, Richards said he’s confident that the school division will be able to provide career and technical education options without having to build a new facility in the city.
Thanks for reading The Citizen, which won the Virginia Press Association’s 2022 News Sweepstakes award as the top online news site in Virginia. We’re independent. We’re local. We pay our contributors, and the money you give goes directly to the reporting. No overhead. No printing costs. Just facts, stories and context. We value your support.
