Let's not miss another opportunity - by State Representative Antonio Cabral

Last month, less than two weeks before the end of the Legislature's 2011-12 formal sessions, I, along with Sen. Montigny and our House colleagues, learned that the New Bedford Public Schools were about $2.7 million short of the amount they should have received in state aid (Chapter 70 funds). I say "about" because the exact number is still unknown.

State aid to public schools is calculated based on a number of factors, one of which is the number of low-income students enrolled in a school district. Somehow, school administrators underreported the number of such students in the district last October by approximately 800 students and no one noticed the mistake until July.

When we learned of the size of the problem, Sen. Montigny and I knew we had to find a remedy. I called the governor, the secretary of education and the commissioner of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and worked intensively with their offices and House budget experts over several days to ensure that the New Bedford Public Schools would receive this critical funding. At first, we were advised that such a correction, especially after the state budget had been completed and signed by the governor, was unprecedented, but we knew that this money had the potential to change the outcomes in the New Bedford Public Schools. After days of tenacious advocacy, we won the support of Gov. Patrick and Secretary of Education Paul Reville, and working together we convinced the Legislature to adopt the change.

These funds are not a onetime windfall and they aren't designated for infrastructure or capital improvements. The legislation incorporates these dollars into the district's foundation budget and will be used to calculate New Bedford's future state aid for education. These dollars ought to be used to educate our students.

The New Bedford Public Schools need to take advantage of every available opportunity for dollars.

Recently, state education officials turned down the New Bedford Public Schools' application for a $2.1 million school redesign grant for the Hayden-McFadden School, one of two schools in New Bedford that the state has designated as Level 4 or "underperforming." The grant would have provided critical funding to implement new, innovative programs. New Bedford's application was the only one in the state that was rejected.

It's no secret that the New Bedford Public Schools are struggling. In addition to Hayden-McFadden, John Avery Parker has also been designated as a Level 4 school. Thirteen more schools in the district are currently classified as Level 3 schools, which means they are at risk of being designated underperforming. When I met with Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester in July, he made it clear that even after working with the district for many months, our schools are still in trouble.

However, there are new opportunities for state funding to help our schools make progress. One is the Gateway Cities Education Initiative, which is offering two competitive grants for school districts located in Gateway Cities.

On Aug. 6, the Patrick-Murray administration began accepting applications from districts like New Bedford for funds from the new Gateway Cities Education Program, for which I worked to secure funding this past spring. The program will provide grants of up to $350,000 for targeted, intensive instruction for English Language Learners and up to $75,000 for planning Career Academies to provide more seamless transitions between high school and post-secondary education or work.

Another new state program New Bedford should apply for is the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center grant for high schools in Gateway Cities which would give schools up to $250,000 to buy supplies that prepare students for careers in life sciences, like biology, chemistry and technology.

New Bedford Public Schools only has until Aug. 31 to submit paperwork to obtain either of the Gateway Cities Education grants and Oct. 12 to complete the application for the Life Sciences Center grant. Let's not miss another opportunity. Changes have to be made immediately to avoid mistakes and take advantage of funding opportunities as they become available.