MEXICO — The Vocational Region 9 board is looking into a pilot program that offers prevocational training to eighth-graders.

“It’s the coming thing. The governor wants to enlarge these programs,” board member Barrett said at Wednesday night’s meeting.

Director Brenda Gammon said she plans to talk with the principals of the three middle schools in Region 9, Mountain Valley in Mexico, Telstar in Bethel and Dirigo in Dixfield, about the idea.

She said interest has been shown across the state in providing a vocational training program to eighth-graders.

“We want to see how other vocational directors do this,” she said.

She said, too, that the board’s Personnel and Program committees will have to take a hard look at what is being offered at Region 9 now. She said some programs may have to be changed or possibly eliminated.

Board Chairman Norman Clanton said in his many years of serving on the board, he has seen the numbers of students taking vocational programs wax and wane.

“The numbers may be declining, but the quality of the programs has grown,” he said.

Region 9 has 164 students attending programs, a number lower than a decade ago. It may decline because enrollment in the three sending schools is decreasing, the board was told.

Student services coordinator Cheryl Ellis said the automotive and certified nursing assistant programs are virtually full, at 29 and 26 students, respectively. Some changes in these and other programs generally take place during the first week or so of school.

Other enrollments are 16 in building construction, 13 in computer technology and graphic arts, 17 in early childhood education, 25 in employability skills, 12 in fire science, nine in forestry and 17 in metal trades.

Mountain Valley High School is sending the most students this year, 63, followed by Dirigo High School with 60, and Telstar Regional High School with 38. Also, two students from Buckfield Junior-Senior High School are attending the fire science program, and one home-schooled student is enrolled in the metal trades program.

A parent information night is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 11 to ask specific questions about the vocational programs offered.

In other business, adult and community education director Nancy Allen said a $9,500 grant from the Finance Authority of Maine will make it possible to teach two additional classes to develop skills needed in college-level math. Level I will include arithmetic skills and Level II will teach algebraic skills. It will be open for GED and vocational students as well as for members of the public.

Allen said many students who go on to college must take remedial math because their skills aren’t sufficient for the program they are studying. By taking these classes at Region 9, the cost for such remedial classes will be eliminated.

The classes are expected to begin later this month or early October.