By: Yuritza Arroyo
On August 9th, the Hudson County Schools of Technology officially broke ground on the new Bayonne Vocational High School.
The new high school, being built in partnership with the Bayonne Public School District, will be located within the existing Bayonne High School campus.
The school will serve students in grades 9-12 from throughout the county and is expected to open in 2024.
“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,” said John Minella, HCST Board of Education President.
“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 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,” said 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, the official groundbreaking ceremony complete with construction helmets and shovels provided by the Bayonne Board of Education and 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,” said Jodi Casais, Bayonne Board of Education President.
“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 grant in the amount of $9,930,000 obtained by 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.
“I’m proud to keep bringing new opportunities to our city and looking forward to watching Bayonne Vocational High School and our students thrive.”
“Working alongside County Executive Tom DeGise, I have always been committed to investing in our children’s education and providing the outstanding facilities and programs that they deserve, and this new Vocational High School will be the latest example of delivering on that promise,” said HCST Board of Education member Craig Guy.
“This kind of close collaboration between the Hudson County Schools of Technology, Bayonne Board of Education, Hudson County Improvement Authority and all the other entities involved in this project is necessary to move projects like this forward, and I look forward to seeing this new school open its doors soon.”