The Hudson County Schools of Technology broke ground on the new Bayonne Vocational High School yesterday, which is expected to open in 2024 to serve grades 9 through 12.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“We’re proud to partner with the Bayonne Public School District on this exciting new project that will offer outstanding career-focused education to local students,” HCST Board of Education President John Minella said in a statement.
“At HCST we have seen firsthand the incredible benefits to our students and broader community that vocational and career technical education can provide. The new Bayonne Vocational High School will undoubtedly expand educational and employment opportunities for students, and we are so excited to see the project underway.”
The new high school at 669 Avenue A will serve 400 students and provide career-focused programming consisting of Mechanical, Construction, Finance, Medical/Clinical, Criminal Justice, Digital Communications, Electrical, Plumbing, Carpentry and Cosmetology courses.
It will also offer core general education classes compliant with the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards/Common Core State Standards.
Project programming, planning, schematic design, and bridging design for the Bayonne Vocational High School are all being undertaken directly by the Board of Education’s Architecture and Educational Planning Participants.
“As an educator myself, it gives me great pride to be able to continue making these kinds of critical investments in the future of Hudson County by providing our children with outstanding school facilities,” noted Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise.
“This new vocational school will complement our other wonderful programs at the Hudson County Schools of Technology to help us continue to prepare our students for the colleges and careers of their choice and an opportunity to build a brighter future.”
The event featured speeches from local officials, along with performances from the Bayonne High School band as well as the Bee’s Knees singers.
“I am thrilled to see ground being broken on this new vocational school here in Bayonne,” added Bayonne BOE President Jodi Casais.
“Our school district is already deeply invested in providing vocational and technical education opportunities to all of our students, and this new project is an exciting new step in our mission to expand access and make sure that our students have as many paths to success as possible.”
Funding for this project was made possible by a $9,930,000 grant obtained by the Hudson County Schools of Technology through the State of New Jersey “Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act” with the additional funding provided by the County of Hudson.
“This new vocational high school represents exactly the kind of innovation and forward thinking investments that we need to make to ensure that our public schools serve all of our residents and set students up for success,” said Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis.
The project was approved by the Bayonne Planning Board in February 2022.
Attendees at the groundbreaking event included DeGise, County Executive Democratic nominee and HCST BOE member Craig Guy, Assemblyman Will Sampson (D-31), Democratic Assembly nominee (D-31) and HCST BOE member Barbara Stamato, Bayonne Council members Gary La Pelusa (the president), Neil Carroll, Jaqueline Weimmer, Juan Perez and Loyad Booker, Jersey City Councilwoman Amy DeGise, who also works for the schools, Bayonne Superintendent of Schools John J. Niesz, County Commissioner and Bayonne Schools Assistant Superintendent Kenny Kopacz, and HCST Schools Superintendent Amy Lin-Rodriguez, among many others.
