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Months of chaos from the federal government have forced New Bedford Public Schools to adjust, then readjust, their plans for new construction, extracurricular programs, and salaries. The Trump administration has reversed course on several attempts to cut funding, so many projects and programs in New Bedford are in the clear — for now.
The Trump administration on Friday said that it would release $6 billion of congressionally-approved education funds that it was previously withholding. Around $2.6 million is headed to New Bedford to support after-school and summertime programs. And in June, the Trump administration stood down from a threat to claw back COVID-relief funds, including around $15 million that New Bedford was using to upgrade its facilities.
The confusion of rescinded funds and the success of ongoing projects shared the stage at the long-awaited opening of a new kitchen facility for the New Bedford schools earlier this month.
The ribbon-cutting for the kitchen — a project four decades overdue, some staff and administrators said — took place on July 1, only hours after federal Education Secretary Linda McMahon blasted out an email that said the Trump administration was withholding grant funding from all 50 states.
The kitchen, which will feed thousands of students in New Bedford’s public, charter, and private schools every day, was made possible with the support of federal funding. Yet almost none of the clapping attendees, gathered administrators, or local politicians at the ceremony realized that the federal partnership that made the kitchen possible was eroding beneath their feet.
Federal support for the project has been popular in New Bedford — a district that could not afford such upgrades on its own.
“The cost to the taxpayers of New Bedford is $0,” said Bruce Oliveira, the chair of the School Committee’s finances, while applause — and a few whoops — rang out from the crowd. Oliveira explained that the building’s construction and its operating costs were cleverly carved out of federal grants — the COVID-relief ESSER funds made the construction possible, and USDA nutrition funds will ensure its operation.
“The upshot is that kids will learn better,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell in his remarks.
Mitchell, however, also noted the ongoing threat to education at the ribbon-cutting, telling the crowd that “federal lunch funds are literally being put in peril as we speak” — referring to the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” that was then being debated in the House.
The federal commitment to education is comparatively slim in America — with no federal right to education and a history of underfunding those protections that it does guarantee. Federal funding, for the most part, corrects for disparities created at the state and local level. And, on the whole, cities like New Bedford benefit from the federal government’s smoothing out of these uneven state and local mechanisms.
New Bedford receives about 10% of its annual funding from the federal government, according to administrators. Meanwhile, New Bedford’s own elected officials underfunded the public schools more than any other district in the Commonwealth during the 2010s.
“Folks receive enormous benefits, and these [ESSER-funded projects] pay for themselves in the long run,” said Superintendent Andrew O’Leary at the kitchen’s opening. “It reduces the burden on taxpayers, and it pays off with the students’ success,” O’Leary said.
“These things work, and sometimes we take them for granted.”
Despite the claw-back attempts, New Bedford’s federally-funded projects are quietly, but urgently chugging along.
The state department of education allowed districts to continue drawing funds from the ESSER account, which never reached zero. (The federal government distributed funds to states, which were responsible for passing it along to the end-user districts.) New Bedford officials said they never had to halt their projects, despite the Trump administration’s threats.
Several projects are nearing completion. Here’s the status of the projects in New Bedford that depend on federal funding:
School-based health center to be ready “before Thanksgiving“
The district’s plan to build a $6 million health center on the campus of New Bedford High School already included signed contracts with a modular building company and architects when ESSER funds were eliminated in late March.
This project was delayed by the federal disruption, but since the Trump administration reversed its decision and reinstated the funds, the building is back on track. Mark Champagne, the district’s facilities project coordinator, said that he expects the building to open in November — “before Thanksgiving.”
The building will be operated by the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center, and will offer services beyond a regular school nurse’s office, such as primary care and prescription-writing and filling.
By continuing with the construction, the district avoids the legal liability it would have faced for the contracts it signed.
District officials said they are confident the building will help New Bedford’s students recover from pandemic-induced chronic absenteeism and health disparities.
Modular classrooms at Brooks Elementary
Brooks Elementary in the West End will open new modular classroom buildings this fall. Federal ESSER dollars funded this $2.9 million project to expand the usable classroom space for the 261 students at Brooks.
David Flynn, the district’s finance manager, said the modular classrooms were “99% complete,” at a finance committee meeting in July. The district was waiting for the school year to end before some of the last installation steps could be completed, Flynn said.
The modular building company, Triumph Modular, is the same firm responsible for installing the school-based health center. The company’s website says its “high-quality office trailers” come with options for “workspaces, furniture, restrooms, and more.”
“They came out really nice,” Flynn said. “You don’t realize you’re in a modular [building] when you’re inside.”
Hathaway’s facelift
Work at Hathaway Elementary, located halfway between downtown and Buttonwood Park, included upgrading windows, doors, and ventilation. These projects, totaling $5.6 million, were funded with a mix of federal and state dollars, with the majority coming through the state’s School Building Authority.
Much of the work at Hathaway, which was built in 1962, updated the building to become compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, often known as ADA. This ensures that people with wheelchairs or other mobility needs can safely navigate through the building.
In June, the project was described as being in the “punch-list and closeout” stage by Flynn, the district’s finance manager. Hathaway will fully be up-to-date when students return this fall.
High school gym, pool, and other projects
ESSER dollars led to upgrades throughout New Bedford’s more than 25 schools.
These included much-need upgrades to the roofs and HVAC systems at Pulaski and Gomes elementary schools, new jobs-training space at the high school, and the brand-new central kitchen, opened earlier this month.
The pool at New Bedford High is now reopened after the district spent $2 million in ESSER funds to repair the space used for physical education classes, the high school’s competitive team, and a revitalized learn-to-swim program. The pool was closed for more than a year after leaks damaged a subterranean filter room.
The aging gymnasium also got an update with ESSER funds, giving the school and the community a safer place to congregate for athletic events.
In total, New Bedford Public Schools received $74 million in ESSER grants, and these construction projects were budgeted for $25 million of the total expenses. The next largest line item, at $4.5 million, was for teacher salary and stipends.
21st Century Community Learning Centers remain open
The most recent blow New Bedford received — the same one that took effect while local officials celebrated the kitchen’s opening — was the freeze of $2.6 million of federal grants.
These congressionally approved grants support a number of projects in New Bedford, including support for immigrant students and English language learners. Now that these funds will be restored, programs in New Bedford that were slated for closure can remain open.
One noteworthy program, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, provides after-school and summertime programming for students — plus work opportunities for local high schoolers. The program was slated to close this fall, administrators told The Light, if federal funds went away.
The adverse effects of closing this program in New Bedford were cited in a lawsuit against the Trump administration, which Massachusetts and 23 other states filed earlier this month.
A spokesperson from the federal Department of Education said that the previously withheld funds will begin flowing to districts this week, according to documents obtained by ABC News.
Email Colin Hogan at chogan@newbedfordlight.org
