New Haven school committees review $7M grant, $1M arts contract; no votes yet
This week, New Haven School District committees and the Board of Education met to review a range of contracts, grants, and policies for the 2026-27 school year. All items were on agendas for discussion or information; no votes have been recorded in the minutes published so far. The most consequential items under consideration include a $7 million federal special education grant and a $1 million arts program agreement.
Finance & Operations Committee — Aug. 3
The committee reviewed 17 information-only items, 2 grant abstracts, 13 agreements, 1 amendment, 5 purchase orders, 4 contracts, and 4 change orders. Notable items included:
- An agreement with ACES for arts programs at Betsy Ross and Cooperative Arts Magnet School, up to $1,007,381.
- A milk contract with Dairy Farmers of America, up to $800,000.
- An IDEA-611 grant of $7,019,920 for special education services.
- A purchase order with Edmentum for a diagnostic and courseware platform, up to $178,114.
- A multi-year energy savings agreement with Catalyst Power AssetCo for combined heat and power systems at six schools through 2039.
No votes were listed on the agenda.
Board of Education — Aug. 10
The board was scheduled to vote on a series of action items, including meeting minutes, a personnel report, and multiple contracts and grants. Key items included:
- IDEA 611 grant of $7,019,920 for special education support.
- IDEA 619 grant of $128,974 for preschool special education.
- ACES arts program agreement up to $1,007,381 for Betsy Ross and Cooperative Arts.
- Multi-year energy savings agreement with Catalyst Power for six schools.
- Dairy Farmers of America milk contract up to $800,000.
Minutes have not yet been published, so no vote outcomes are available.
Governance Committee — Aug. 11
The committee reviewed a Parent/Family Civility Policy. The agenda included only this policy review and standard procedural items.
Food Service Task Force — Aug. 12
The task force discussed updates on food service operations, a food gap subgroup, a food allergy policy, and a sustainable food initiative. No votes or dollar amounts were listed.
Citywide School Building & Stewardship Committee — Aug. 13
The committee received updates on the Adult Education construction project, a FLAC update, and the August stewardship report from ABM. The agenda was procedural, with no votes or decisions listed.
Coming up
Finance & Operations Committee — Aug. 17
The committee will review a large batch of contracts and amendments, including:
- Amendment #3 to the Sav Mor Cooling contract, increasing HVAC funding by $113,214.96 to $2,174,214.96 for Edgewood and Lincoln Bassett schools.
- An agreement with Children's Community Program Connecticut for the Pathways/Riverside Collaborative Program for up to 14 at-risk students, $525,000.
- A purchase order with Curriculum Associates for the I-Ready Classroom math program for Pre-K-8, $656,299.01.
- An agreement with Cormier Consulting for school improvement at BRADA, Roberto Clemente, and Lincoln Bassett, $162,250.
- An agreement with Yale-China Association for Chinese language instruction at three schools, total $22,500.
The committee will also discuss a data-sharing agreement with Teach for America and a memorandum of understanding with the city health department.