'Pretty Hurtful For Kids': Essex Tech Superintendent Responds To Lottery Admissions Frustrations

DANVERS, MA — Essex North Shore Tech Superintendent Heidi Riccio said she understands the frustration and pain of more than 1,200 prospective students and their families shut out of admission to the school following the new state-mandated lottery selection this week.

Essex Tech was forced to switch from an interview-based admissions process after the State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education imposed new rules designed to eliminate subjectivity and give all students an equal chance at securing a seat at vocational and agricultural schools statewide.

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Ricco was among the CTE school leaders who argued against the change, saying that more seats were needed to meet demand, and that the lottery process would not bring about the equity admissions that advocates sought.

"We felt strongly that would not happen," she told Patch on Friday. "We felt it would not necessarily create a more equitable operation. It also plays into the fact that there are not enough seats for vocational and agricultural education in the state.

"We have worked really hard for the last five years on diversity and we did a great job. Now, leaving it to chance is pretty hurtful for kids."

Riccio said this year's lottery — which eliminated some admissions criteria such as exceptional attendance or demonstrated interest in pursuing a vocational or agricultural career — drew a record 1,746 admissions for between 550 and 560 seats.

The lottery was livestreamed this week in a state-mandated effort to provide more transparency to the selections.

But that did little to alleviate the anger and disappointment from those who did not have their number drawn during the selection.

"I do believe that people are upset and they are frustrated," Ricco said. "It's not just the parents who are frustrated. It's also the kids. They feel they worked really hard and have ambitions and goals that they feel align with our agricultural and vocational goals.

"It's hard to then say to the kids who didn't get in that it was because of a lottery."

Riccio said the admissions interest and the outrage over not getting a seat at the school are further proof that vocational and agricultural schools must expand to meet a clear demand.

"So many people want this form of education, and I hope the (Board of Education) commissioner and governor continue to support these expansion efforts," she said. "We have 1,746 applicant families who are clearly looking for something different.

"It's the kids who suffer."

The state gave schools the option to use a "weighted lottery" that would give some students a better chance at selection based on factors such as attendance and demonstrated interest in the school through attending camps, fairs, or other career technical programs. But Essex Tech opted for the straight lottery, giving every prospective student the same chance at admission.

"There were 1,746 applicants, and we felt it was more important to have our school counselors in the buildings attending to the mental health needs of our students than to be out interviewing every applicant student about their attendance just so they could get an extra Bingo ball in the mix," she said.

Riccio added that, while the school set previous attendance targets at nine absences or fewer a year, the state's directive was to set the bar at 27 absences or fewer.

"It is a low bar," she conceded.

She urged those unhappy with the results to reach out to state representatives and senators, as well as other government officials at the statewide level, and advocate for change.

"Honestly, this shows the state needs to invest in career and agricultural education," she concluded. "To the families, I wish we could take every single child to apply to Essex Tech. I believe in this form of education, and I am proud of the work we've done here as the school of choice since 2004, when the district was formed.

"The support should be there because we are training the future workforce."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)