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Superintendent says federal entitlement grants were released; warns of potential FY27 Title I cuts
Summary
Superintendent reported federal entitlement grants have been released and that the district received allocations; administrators warned the committee of a possible 70% Title I cut in FY27 that could reduce funding by $600,000—700,000, mainly affecting teacher salaries.
Superintendent Watson told the school committee on Aug. 11 that previously reported freezes on federal entitlement grants are lifted and that Greater New Bedford VocTech has received its federal allocations. "Those federal funds have been released nationwide including the Massachusetts, and all of the allocations for Greater New Bedford VocTech have been here for the district," Watson said.
At the same time, administrators and committee members discussed the prospect of significant reductions in future federal entitlements. Watson warned the committee that Title I funding could face a possible 70% reduction in fiscal year 2027, and that Title I functions as a major source for staff salaries: "...that's nearly around a million dollars for district. It is actually slightly above a million dollars for the district, but the overwhelming lion share of title 1 funding is teacher salaries... close to 900,000 of that." He added that a 70% cut would translate to an approximate $600,000—700,000 shortfall, and recommended early conversations with the budget subcommittee.
Committee members asked for more regular budget discussions and recommended that the administration keep the committee and subcommittees apprised of any changes to federal allocations as the district prepares next year's budget. The administration said Perkins funding showed a slight increase for the current year and that Title III experienced a small decrease in the most recent release; administrators described their view as that there is "no net decline" to current-year funding, while cautioning that FY27 remains uncertain.
