$1.4M TCTC equipment bond question will be on Nov. 5 ballot

DEXTER — When residents of the SAD 46 communities of Dexter, Exeter, Garland, and Ripley head to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 5 one of the items they will be voting on is a $1.4 million Career and Technical Education Equipment Bond from the Maine Department of Education to help upgrade equipment for various programs at the Tri-County Technical Center.

The “yes” or “no’ question asks, “Shall the School Board of Maine School Administrative District No. 46 (the “District’) be authorized to issue bonds or notes in the name of the District for minor capital purposes in an amount not to exceed $1,430,069 to acquire advanced industry standard equipment to modernize various programs for Tri-County Technical Center and train students for career in high demand fields?

“Debt service on the bonds or notes shall be paid by the State of Maine with no impact on local educational taxes.”

During an Oct. 10 public hearing on the referendum question at the Ridge View Community School, SAD 46 Superintendent Kevin Jordan said in 2023 the Maine Legislature approved a new $20 million CTE equipment bond program in which the state’s technical centers were invited to apply for funding to be fully covered by the state. The goal of the bond is to provide funding to support career pathways leading to employment in jobs in Maine’s economic recovery plans through equipment acquisitions. Funds may be used to create CTE programs or to expand and/or update current CTE programs to align with industry standards and workforce needs.

“This is the key and I’ve tried to mention that everywhere I go,” Jordan said about the fact that there would be no local financial commitment in order to accept the monies.

“The word we are trying to get out is this is an amazing opportunity, (TCTC Director Brian Leavitt) did a fantastic application and it was approved and there is not one penny of local taxpayer money in this,” he said.

“We were one of the fortune 11,” the superintendent said as nearly a dozen CTE centers or regions out of 13 applications were chosen to receive a portion of the $20 million. The $1.4 million-plus for TCTC is among the higher award amounts of the 11 recipients. The United Technologies Center in Bangor was awarded about $2 million and the Caribou Regional Technology Center will receive a little more than $1.8 million.

Leavitt said funds can be used on equipment totaling at least $5,000 in value, have a useful life expectancy of five years, aligns to industry standards, would be for professional development and/or training, and can cover minor infrastructure costs associated with the equipment.

He said a team of qualified reviewers scored the applications using a consensus approach, with TCTC receiving a score of 83 out of 100. SAD 46 officials were notified of the application success in August.

Should the question be passed next month, then the Maine Bond Bank will begin selling bonds in February of 2025. Funding would be scheduled to be available sometime in May.

“CTE schools, if everything goes well, will get this funding up front which would be a huge help,” Leavitt said. “That is another big benefit of the grant.”

The $1.4 million is divided among 20 projects for 11 different TCTC programs. The highest totals are $175,000 both for a Western Star 49X Tractor Truck for the commercial truck driving program and a fire training unit for the firefighting program.

Leavitt said the new tractor trailer truck would have a larger cab to enable more students to be inside, a change from the post-COVID restrictions limiting numbers. “We are using what professionals are using and we want them to have the best experience at Tri-County,” he said.

The TCTC director said the fire training unit would enable students to replicate being inside a smoke-filled building to extinguish blazes. “Local fire departments will be able to use it as well,” Leavitt said.

Another $156,000 is earmarked for a police driving simulator for criminal justice students. “We can simulate different situations in a safe environment,” he said, such as traffic stops and vehicle chases.

A sum of $115,000 would fund five rotary lifts for automotive technology to replace the aging lifts currently in use.

Automotive technology students would also have a $104,000 switch electric vehicle kit that would enable a vehicle to be assembled by the class, and then taken apart to be put together by another group.

TCTC’s new welding program would receive 12 welders, a welding simulator, and Apple Mac Airs for a bit less than $175,000 combined.

Leavitt said TCTC does not have a pickup truck of its own for students to use to the job site, such as the family home being constructed at 128 Main Street Hill by building trades students. He said it is a liability issue for students to haul the equipment trailer in their own vehicles across town.

An $80,000 heavy duty pickup truck funded by the CTE Equipment Bond would resolve the issue.

“It’s a tool every contractor has but we can do other things with that,” Leavitt said.

The culinary arts, graphic design, metals manufacturing, multimedia production, and natural resources programs would also all benefit from equipment purchases via bond funds.