10.21.26 NPS Supt Msg

October 21, 2026

Dear Newburyport Public Schools Community,

We would like to share some exciting news. On Tuesday, October 20th, Newburyport Public Schools was awarded a $3.1 million grant through the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Capital Annex Pilot Program by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Education to expand Newburyport High School’s CTE Program.

Newburyport High School’s CTE Program allows students to have focused study in high demand industries of engineering & manufacturing, healthcare, early education and multimedia broadcasting. Students complete 900 hours of technical and theory coursework, participate in a work-based internship, and gain industry recognized certifications.

This grant will significantly expand early career exploration in both engineering & manufacturing and healthcare industry sectors, allowing students to enter the workforce directly after high school or build a strong academic foundation for pursuing a college degree program.

Over the next two years, this grant will support major renovations to teaching spaces including the installation of a health assisting lab and an engineering and manufacturing facility. Additionally, the spaces will be supplied with state-of-the-art equipment.

We are tremendously excited about this support from the state. This has been a five-year process of working towards a Portrait of a Graduate vision that redefines the learning experience for our students. The development of the high school's CTE Program supports our students’ overall engagement with school and helps them connect their learning to their personal interests and possible future career paths.

We want to personally recognize the following people whose hard work, expertise, and planning made this grant award possible:

Dr. Erin Hobbs, Pathways and Career & Technical Education Coordinator
Ethan Manning, Director of Finance and Operations
Lisa Furlong, Assistant Superintendent
James McSweeney, Director of Facilities
The Steering Committee: Amber Barbere, Anna Bates, Elizabeth Bennett, Nancy Casell, Lauren Eramo, Cristy Gomez, Jamie Grant, Sarah Hall, Cecelia Lunde, Sean Reardon, Tom Rosa and Chris Skiba

We know there will be a lot of exciting updates about this as the year goes on, and we look forward to sharing them with you in the future.

Respectfully,

Sean Gallagher

Superintendent

Andy Wulf

Newburyport High School Principal