North Middlesex School Committee extends Vanpool contract, accepts $20,000 health grant

School Committee · Meeting of March 2, 2026

TOWNSEND -- North Middlesex Regional School District School Committee extends Vanpool transportation contract and accepts $20,000 behavioral health grant. The committee voted 6-1 Monday to extend its special-education transportation contract with Vanpool through fiscal years 2027 and 2028, securing a 4 percent annual rate increase, down from 5 percent in each of the two prior years, after Special Education Transportation Director Aaron Upton reported the vendor is now "communicative, responsive, and receptive to feedback." The panel also voted unanimously to accept a $20,000 FY26 Neshoba Valley Community Health Grant from the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts, funding a student telehealth access space, staff mental health first-aid training, and a fall 2026 community health fair. The committee froze preschool tuition for 2026-2027 on a 5-0-2 vote, with members Randy Rush and Carla Lima abstaining over a lack of comparative district data.

Community advocate Jennifer Fours urged members to promote a March 23 State House hearing on the state's Chapter 70 funding formula, noting the number of financially distressed Massachusetts school districts has grown from 211 to 272.

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Source: the School Committee meeting of March 2, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.