Superintendent-Director
Blackstone Valley Vocational Regional School District
“Doc” Fitzpatrick will retire in June after leading the district for 31 years.
Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School (BVT) looks and operates very differently today than it did when Dr. Michael F. Fitzpatrick arrived as the new Superintendent-Director in 1994. The building has undergone numerous renovation projects and a $36 million expansion. The menu of vocational programs has evolved with changes in industry. Technology is now deeply integrated into all shops and classrooms.
But for “Doc” Fitzpatrick, as he is affectionately known, those are not the most significant changes over the three decades. Instead, he cites the profound shift in climate and culture. Michael said he is most proud of the sense of belonging and community that now defines the school.
“If you walk the hallways, you’ll see students who are engaged,” said Michael. “There aren’t many discipline issues, because everyone is too busy. You’ll see students and staff who are happy.”
Michael announced in September that he would retire at the end of this school year. Now, in his final months on the job, he reflects on his 31-year tenure with pride and nostalgia.
Michael recalls a much more siloed environment when he first arrived. He remembered that in the early days, when taking visitors on a tour of the school, he would “knock on a classroom door and often be met with horror.” He said teachers were not accustomed to the Superintendent-Director bringing visitors to classrooms unannounced.
“The reaction I often heard was, ‘The Superintendent didn’t tell me he was coming. Am I being fired? Where do I file a grievance?’”
He explained to the faculty that he took great pride in giving school tours “to showcase the excellence that’s taking place under this roof every day.” Before long, he said, educators began welcoming the visits.
“When I give that tour today,” he said, “at the end of the day, someone from the staff will always say, ‘Why didn’t you come to my room?’ It’s a total reverse.”
Michael’s first priority as the new Superintendent-Director was to promote a “shared ownership” approach. He recognized that staff morale was critical to the success of the school, so he administered a climate survey and quickly instituted changes based on what the staff needed.
“If you don’t treat people with respect,” he said, “then you create a toxic environment based on ‘them’ and ‘us.’”
The ultimate goal, he said, was to create shared ownership of student success. For example, early assessments revealed that most students were not reading at grade level, so Michael worked with the faculty to create a school-wide, cross-curricular reading initiative. Every teacher was trained in a new reading program. Students were held to higher standards. He said there was a palpable sense that “we were all in it together.”
Michael said that the spirit of collaboration permeates the school today and remains a key ingredient to its success. Staff from the academic, vocational, special education, and counseling programs routinely come together to share experiences, learn from one another, and strategize about solutions.
Putting Valley Tech on the Map
His appointment to “Valley Tech” in Upton was a homecoming for Michael, who grew up in nearby Milford. He had been working in higher education, primarily training teachers and administrators in vocational-technical education, and in other regional vocational-technical schools.
One of Michael’s first priorities on the job was to ensure that his students were eligible for the scholarships available to students from other area high schools. He contacted many local and regional organizations and asked them to expand scholarship eligibility to include vocational-technical students. Michael said that in the first year of his tenure, BVT students earned only $20,000 in scholarships. By last year, that figure had soared to a tally exceeding $9 million in renewable value.
Michael also prioritized making stronger connections between the school and industry, recruiting new partners from a variety of trades. Under Michael’s leadership, the school expanded opportunities for students to gain real-world experience, including internships, apprenticeships, and hands-on training to apply their learning to future careers. Today, more than half of the senior class participates in a cooperative education program, reporting to job sites every other week and earning both minimum wage and credits toward a diploma and vocational certification.
According to Michael, the more than 400 tradespeople who serve as vocational advisory committee members at BVT provide critical support to the school and its students. He said the industry experts help ensure that “we never get stale” by meeting with teachers, leading professional development, advising about the latest trends, and more. For example, the school once had separate programs for metal fabrication, welding, and manufacturing. Employers said they couldn’t afford to hire three people with those distinct skills, and encouraged BVT to merge them into a single curriculum that trains students in all three areas. The result is the school’s Advanced Manufacturing program, through which students develop a variety of skills that make them highly competitive for the workforce.
BVT has long relied on innovative community partnerships to overcome other challenges, too. Early in his tenure, Michael heard from many parents who were concerned about their students’ mental health but could not get access to services. Michael realized the best strategy would be to bring the services into the school. So he contacted a local hospital and crisis centers and offered them rent-free space in the building in exchange for on-site counseling for students. They collaborated to secure grants to fund the program, and the valuable services remain in place today.
“The transition to adolescence is daunting enough outside of all the issues in our society,” Michael said. “We’ve taken a very aggressive approach to meeting the needs of our students.”
Michael cites other pioneering efforts that have bolstered BVT’s reputation here in Massachusetts and across the country. It was one of the first districts to offer performance-based awards to educators, granting compensation bonuses for achieving student achievement targets. Support staff – including custodians and cafeteria workers – do not participate in collective bargaining but enjoy many of the same benefits as their unionized colleagues, including tuition reimbursement for continued education. During Michael’s tenure, the school also expanded the school day and the school year, with 13 additional days of instruction beyond the state requirement.
During the three decades since Michael took the helm, BVT has emerged as a national model for vocational-technical schools. The school has been recognized with many honors and awards, including Commonwealth Compass School, Vanguard Model School, National School Change Award, Advanced Placement District Honor Roll, USDA HealthierUS School Challenge Silver Award, Massachusetts Green School, Commendation School Award, National School Change Award, three years as a High Schools That Work Pacesetter School, and seven years as a Project Lead the Way Distinguished School.
When asked about what the future holds for vocational-technical education in Massachusetts, Michael said, “That’s a little scary” – expressing his disagreement with the proposed shift to a lottery system for admission to the schools.
“I’m disappointed that there are misperceptions being advanced by people who don’t know our schools and don’t understand whether the changes being recommended would be beneficial or not,” he said. “No one is talking to the people who do the work.”
He said the current process that includes interviews with prospective students “provides an opportunity to shape a plan that serves students well.” He rejects the claims that a lottery system would be less discriminatory, citing the schools’ track records of serving a diverse population of students of various races, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds, as well as students with disabilities.
Michael is encouraged, however, by the growing emphasis among non-vocational schools on preparing students for successful careers after high school.
“I’ve been a lifelong advocate for career education for everyone,” he said. “Career education is not necessarily intense vocational-technical education, but it’s a grass-roots connection to the world of work. The realization of that need should have occurred a long time ago.”
A Leading Voice for Vocational-Technical Education
Because of his passionate advocacy for vocational-technical education at the state and national levels, Michael is often credited with influencing significant advancements in the field. The list of his honors and awards is nearly as long as the Blackstone River itself, including: Massachusetts Superintendent of the Year, Outstanding Municipal Employee of the Year, Outstanding Vocational-Technical Educator, Educator of the Year, Presidential Technology Award, Leadership for Learning Award, and the M.A.S.S. Christos Daoulas Award, among many others.
One of his proudest accomplishments is being the only person elected president of three statewide professional organizations – Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (M.A.S.S.), Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators (MAVA), and Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools (MARS) – as well as the New England School Development Council (NESDEC). Michael also served on the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) Executive and Governing Boards.
“It was a distinct honor to be elected by my colleagues to serve,” he said, “to be given the podium and the opportunity to interact with champions of education, and to be at the table and benefit from their expertise.”
Through his involvement in statewide organizations, as well as various commissions and task forces, Michael believes he has helped shift the perception of vocational-technical schools, which are often maligned or misunderstood by educators in traditional districts. Above all, Michael said that in those leadership roles and others, he has valued the chance to support other school and district leaders who seek his counsel.
“I’ve tried to help others as a way of giving back to those who helped me,” he said. “It’s been rewarding to help others acclimate and respond to the challenges of today’s educational environment.”
Studies have suggested that across the country, Superintendents remain in their districts for an average of three to six years, and the turnover rate seems to have increased in recent years. So what is the secret to longevity? According to Michael, two key strategies have contributed to his 31-year tenure: 1. “Enjoy the job, and work every day at enjoying it,” and 2. “You need to take care of yourself. It’s not unlike the airline safety instructions that recommend putting on your own oxygen mask before assisting others.” For him, that means regular exercise, nutrition, sleep, hobbies, and time with family and friends, in order to maintain the physical, mental, and emotional stamina needed to perform his job effectively.
Michael added that strong working relationships with School Committee members – 13 individuals in this case – are also essential to job security. He recalled that when he was nominated for the position, all but three of the members voted in favor of his appointment on the first vote (it was unanimous on a subsequent vote).
“So I worked a little extra hard to win over those three members,” he said with a laugh. “And guess what? All three of them eventually asked me to deliver their eulogy.”
The Start of a New Chapter
As he looks ahead to life after retirement, Michael said he is planning to maintain a variety of activities, “but all in small bites.” His first order of business is to run the golf tournament at the M.A.S.S. Executive Institute in July, which he has done for many years. He said he plans to volunteer, travel, and do some consulting and coaching. Michael and his wife JoAnn were raised in large families, each with six siblings, so they are looking forward to spending time with their daughter Shannon, two grandchildren, brothers and sisters, and 45 nieces and nephews.
Michael said he is delighted that when selecting his successor, the School Committee opted for an internal promotion, appointing Anthony E. Steele II, who currently serves as Assistant Superintendent-Director and Principal. Mr. Steele will become only the fourth person to hold the position in the school’s 61-year history.
In a tribute published in the school newsletter, Mr. Steele wrote, “Dr. Fitzpatrick genuinely engages with students and staff and has an uncanny ability to be in-the-know on all things Valley Tech. Whether he is in the halls talking to kids, taking part in our annual Color Run, or on the sidelines of athletics events cheering on our Beavers, it is evident that he cares for our students … The culture at BVT under Doc’s leadership became one of pride in skilled craftsmanship and the pursuit of excellence.”
Michael reflected that one of the greatest rewards throughout his career has been sharing in the success of his students and highlighting those successes in the 13 communities that BVT serves – even through small gestures like sending cards last month to the families of 82 students who earned medals at the SkillsUSA competition. Now, Michael is looking ahead to the “bittersweet” occasion of his final graduation as Superintendent-Director in June.
He said, “There’s nothing quite like handing a high school student a diploma and vocational certificate at graduation, with parents and grandparents cheering from the audience.”
Michael is just as energized, he added, at graduation ceremonies for the adult education programs created during his tenure, when it’s the young people cheering on their parents.
“If you don’t connect with the students,” he said, “you’re missing the reason for being in the business. That’s been the key for me.”
