GRANBY — Sen. Jake Oliveira reached below the humming 3-D printers and picked up Granby Junior Senior High School students’ latest creation.
Two hexagonal web wings sandwiched a jack-o-lantern pod to create a Halloween TIE fighter, a seasonal play on the famous “Star Wars” spaceship. As Oliveira, D-Ludlow, and Rep. Homar Gómez, D-Easthampton, examined the figurine, the other design students in the room broke from their 3-D printing projects to admire the work.
The state legislators saw and touched the results of their fight for Fair Share funding during an Oct. 8 visit to Granby Public Schools. In May 2025, the school district received $75,000 to grow its computer information technology career pathway. The money has since been spent rewiring the computer lab with 24 desktops, purchasing new laptops and installing new design software for the 3-D printers.
Capital investments are a challenge for Granby, which level-funded its school budget this year and continues to cut services while facing rising costs. But state funding can help the district engineer new programs, said Director of Facilities and Operations Todd Dorman.
Capital investments are a challenge for Granby, which level-funded its school budget this year and continues to cut services in the face of rising costs. But state funding can help the district engineer new programs, Director of Facilities and Operations Todd Dorman said.
The $1.83 billion supplemental budget passed in fiscal year 2025 allocated extra funding to public education and transportation across the state. The bill uses surplus revenue from the Fair Share tax, also known as the millionaire tax, to offer one-time funds for different academic and infrastructure projects across the commonwealth.
The IT career pathway launched in the 2024-2025 school year, Dorman said. The district received a grant to plan and implement the technical pathway, which provides introductory and intermediate skills for careers as an IT technician, network engineer or web developer.
Students in the IT career pathway learn about computer science, cybersecurity and computer-assisted design. Once students complete all the courses offered at Granby Junior Senior High School, they move to dual enrollment at a neighboring college, such as Holyoke Community College or UMass Amherst. Granby Junior Senior High School Principal Alison Jordan said a senior year capstone project or internship is required to complete the curriculum.
However, the technological improvements are not limited to the handful of IT pathway students. Just under 100 of the 283 students enrolled at Granby Junior Senior High School use the computer lab daily, and around 50 students visit the 3-D printing room. Jordan notes that most of these students are not in the pathway but are interested in gaining more technological knowledge.
“Both of the rooms (upgrades) really transformed the stuff we’re doing with them,” Assistant Principal Scott Freniete said. “It’s been fantastic.”
In the new computer lab, Oliveira and Gómez spoke to students about the value of their technological literacy. They pointed out the data breaches in Easthampton and Springfield; the former shut down the school for a week.
“I know cybersecurity is something that’s going to continue to come up and grow,” Oliveira told the students. “All of us have these little devices in our pocket, and we enter in a lot of information about ourselves. You want to make sure that that information is protected.”
Oliveira said the new technology enhances the students’ education now but also prepares them for their future careers.
“We want to give you the tools, that way you can be successful in life, you can be successful in your job and be successful in the community,” Gómez said to the classroom.
