Opinion: Mayoral Candidate Kokoros On High School Opportunities

BRAINTREE, MA — The following is a letter to the editor from mayoral candidate and District 1 Town Councilor Charles Kokoros:

One of my goals as mayor, at the top of my list of priorities, would be to commission a future focused pilot program at Braintree High School to provide students with even more opportunities than they are already given. I want to help students expedite their careers by partnering with local trade organizations and colleges to start students down their desired career path while they are still in high school.

For college bound students, I would look to partner with state and private colleges and universities to earn college credits while attending Braintree High School. This would provide our college bound students with credits that would be transferrable to state and private colleges and universities towards their undergraduate degree. With the cost of tuition on the rise and national student debt at an all-time high, this program would lessen the financial burden of students and their families looking for higher education. Students would be able to complete their undergraduate degrees faster and begin their careers sooner, entering the work force or moving on to their advanced degrees.

This program would not be exclusive to college bound students. I would mirror the college program with students looking to enter the work force upon graduation that are interested in learning a trade. I would look to partner with our local trade organizations to get students into apprentice programs so that they are able to earn valuable work hours and experience that would get them a head start on their career in their desired trade. This program would allow students to explore all of the different career paths in trade work to decide which line of work best suits them and prepare for their career while they are still in high school. Students would have the opportunity to earn their license in the trade of their choice either upon graduation or shortly after, getting them to work sooner than ever before. This would be mutually beneficial to the students and the trade organizations as students would be able to join the workforce sooner and with more experience than they normally would, and the trade organizations would have a large influx of capable employees joining the work force at a younger age and with more experience than they normally would have after high school.

Braintree has one of the strongest public-school systems in the commonwealth, however, there is always room for improvement. Obviously, the infrastructure of our school buildings needs to be addressed. This is something I plan to accomplish in my first term as Mayor. These physical improvements, coupled with the future focused pilot program for students, would be an incredible combination to provide the best possible education for the next generation. Our children deserve the best public education that we can provide, and as your next mayor, I promise to invest even more in their futures to ensure that a Braintree High School education remains second to none.