Westbrook and Portland school officials are now moving forward with their plans towards merging the educational programs and administration for Portland Arts and Technology High School and this Westbrook Regional Vocational Center. Since, its main goal will entirely reduce the administration into this two regional vocational schools, combine with the duplicated programs and even expand on towards variety of career courses that been offered to the learners that been quite close towards this two dozen educational learning institutes just throughout southern Maine. It required pretty amazing collaboration among Westbrook and Portland and it’s quite something for no one else into this Maine that been attempted according to Portland Superintendent Jim Morse. Although, they got two schools within these six miles for each other that still been trying of doing similar aspect and must continually work it out together. The task force that entirely represent each other into this recent completed feasibility upon studying towards the emerging this school leadership and towards the governing boards. As of now, the panel will now be issuing report in the last month that have unanimously recommends improvement upon plan consolidation into this coming school year and upon moving forward with the merger of 2011-12. Portland School Committee will entirely be receiving report during their meeting in PATHS. Meanwhile, the Westbrook School Committee will entirely be receiving report last May 12. Its been considered that vocational education program as one of various areas where in Westbrook, Portland, and South Portland school officials have entirely investigating their potential towards greater sharing and for potential savings. Some others include online education, transportation; multilingual educational languages and staff improvement.

Merger of these two vocational educational learning institutes would necessarily get some approval from state Board of Education and to its Legislature according to Morse. Since, it would entirely produce cooperative agreement upon outlining an administrative structures that been led on through executive director and their two assistant directors. As of now, each of this school got some director and assistant director. With that, the merger would now end up saving financial resources but its proponents that it’s not any more a primary goal. Since, PATH have now proposed financial budget in the year 2010-11 that is about $3.4 million. Meanwhile, Westbrook got a school’s proposal financial budget that is about $2.3 million. It’s entirely about giving various services for their learners particularly those learners who can entirely benefit from this well expanded career education chances according to Westbrook Superintendent Reza Namin. School of Westbrook already got about 350 learners that include some from this Gorham, Scarborough, Windham, Bonny Eagle School district and Raymond. The PATHS already got about 515 learners that came from both 23 private and public schools with their respective educational programs. Especially, that both of these vocational schools will now be offering career courses in the field of food services, health occupations, carpentry, automotives, and their early childhood occupations. Aside of that, PATHS will also be offering career courses in the field of masonry, welding, plumbing, woodworking, heating, fashion marketing, landscaping, new media, music, dance, commercial art, marine and recreational vehicle repair, graphic art and upon printing. Westbrook schools will now be offering career courses in the field of commercial truck driving, for public safety, electricity, heavy equipment operation, drafting, computer science, electricity, business management, office technology, web designing, and in the field of marketing. Through consolidating the duplicating programs, these schools would entirely able of improving these new programs into these emerging fields according to Namin.