On November 2, 1965, voters in ten Massachusetts communities approved a referendum to form the Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School District, including the cities of Fitchburg and Gardner,as well as the towns of Royalston, Winchendon, Ashburnham, Ashby, Barre, Phillipston, Hubbardston, and Lunenburg. By the end of November, voters in Sterling and Westminster had also voted to join the regional school. On July 18, 1966, the architecture firm of Korslund, LeNormand and Quann of Norwood was selected to design the new school's facilities. School construction was approved by Gov. Francis Sargent in 1969, authorizing a bond issue. Six years in planning and construction, the Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School was approved for occupancy and opened its doors to about 600 students in September 1971. By October 1974, enrollment had increased to 990 students, with 26% female students. In 1988 the Business Education Enrichment Fund was formed, which later became The Monty Tech Foundation. That year, the Fund held the first gala Superintendent's Dinner, a major fundraising event. The School Committee approved a bond issue in 1996 for major renovation and modernization. On May 17, 2000, the school dedicated the $17 million state-of-the-art addition, including the performing arts center, new gym and new classrooms. Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School was last evaluated in April 2016, and the Committee's report is posted on the school's website.
Curriculum
Monty Tech offers 21 programs that meet the definition of vocational technical education contained in Massachusetts General Law Chapter 74 that also are approved by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: Animal Science, Automotive Collision Repair and Refinishing, Automotive Technology, Building/Property Maintenance, Business Technology, Cabinetmaking, Carpentry, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Dental Assisting, Drafting, Early Education and Care, Electricity, Engineering Technology, Graphic Communications, Health Assisting, Machine Tool Technology, Masonry and Tile Setting, Metal Fabrication and Joining Technologies, Plumbing, and Programming and Web Development. The school also emphasizes coursework in academic subjects. From 2007 to 2014, student performance on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System rose in English language arts from 65% to 95%, and in mathematics, from 62% to 74%. The school had developed data teams of instructors who analyzed the results and made changes in educational strategies, also promoting collaboration between academic and vocational courses. In addition to hiring more tutors and expanding tutoring hours, the school has also hired teaching coaches who help with lesson plans, building curriculum. The average student/teacher ratio is 12.5, slightly lower than the statewide average of 13.5. Monty Tech maintains articulation agreements with 9 post-secondary institution partners: Ben Franklin Institute of Technology, Johnson and Wales University, Newbury College, Vermont Technical College, Massachusetts Community Colleges, University of Northwestern Ohio, and New England Institute of Technology.
Extra-curricular projects
Robotics team
Monty Tech is home to multiple VEX robotics teams: teams 562A, 562B, 562C, known as S.P.A.R.K. The team consists of about 17 Monty Tech students and one instructor. The team regularly attends and has competed in robotics competitions since 2001.
NASA Mission 1
In 2004, students from Monty Tech became the only vocational-technical participants in NASA's Student Spaceflight Experiment Program, and designed experiments to be conducted on the International Space Station.
MCJROTC
In 2002 Monty Tech established a Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer's Corps Unit. In 2019 enrollment was over 190 students in grades 9 through 12. Monty Tech's MCJROTC unit's Cyber Security team has won national recognition at the Air Force Association's national youth challenge competition Cyber Patriot.
