MassVoter.com← New BedfordMunicipal votes · 2026–2027 term
New Bedford School Committee
How the New Bedford School Committee voted, from the School Committee's official minutes. 7 members: the Mayor, who chairs it, and 6 elected citywide. Vonmarie Moniz and Richard Porter III joined in January 2026. The January 12, 2026 minutes say a candidate was being chosen to complete the term of member Bruce Oliveira, who had died; William “Brad” Markey is first listed as a member on February 9, 2026. Melissa Costa was elected Vice Chair for 2026. Covers 6 meetings so far, January 12 to August 10, 2026.
A monthly email on what it voted on, starting in November.
What does the School Committee do? It hires and evaluates the superintendent, sets goals and policies for the public schools, and approves the school budget.
The City Council decides the total amount the schools get; the School Committee decides how that money is spent.
Sources: Mass. General Laws c. 71 § 37 (school committees) · c. 71 § 34 (school budgets)Your New Bedford ballot: 15 quizzes, about a minute each.
Start my ballot →Vote Transparency Score
New Bedford School Committee: 4.5 out of 10 · Hard to see
How easy New Bedford makes it to see, online, how each member votes. It scores the school district’s records, not any official. Checked October 3, 2026.
- Minutes postedMinutes are posted for some of the past year’s meetings.Part points: 1/2
- Each vote namedEvery vote is a roll call that names how each member voted.Full points: 3/3
- Posted quicklyMinutes usually go up more than three months after the meeting.No points: 0/2
- Past years onlineFewer than five years of minutes are online.No points: 0/1
- Readable textThe minutes are scanned images, so you can’t search or copy the text.No points: 0/1
- Member photosThe School Committee page shows a group photo and lists every member by name, but has no individual photos.Part points: 0.5/1
How the district can raise its score
- Minutes posted (+1): Post approved minutes for every meeting on the district website. Don’t require a sign-in to view them.
- Posted quickly (+2): Post minutes within 30 days. If approval takes longer, post a draft marked “Draft – not yet approved” and replace it later.
- Past years online (+1): Keep at least five years of minutes online. When the website changes, move the old files instead of deleting them.
- Readable text (+1): Save minutes straight from Word or Google Docs as a PDF instead of printing and scanning them. If a scan is needed, turn on the scanner’s “searchable PDF” or text-recognition setting.
- Member photos (+0.5): Show a photo of each member on the board’s web page, with their name, the date their term ends and how to contact them. A group photo of the members, with everyone named in the caption or on the same page, earns half a point.
How we score · Something wrong, or has the district made a change? Email info@massvoter.com and we’ll re-check.
A monthly email on its votes, starting in November. We'll also tell you if this score changes.
Terms
Coming up
MassVoter can’t read New Bedford’s meeting calendar automatically yet. See upcoming meetings on the official site →
Members
ChairJon MitchellMayor; Chair (by law) · Mayor (chair) · at 3 of 6 meetings
Vice-ChairMelissa CostaVice Chair (2026) · Elected citywide · at 6 of 6 meetings
Christopher CotterSchool Committee Member · Elected citywide · at 5 of 6 meetings
Jack Livramento, Jr.School Committee Member · Elected citywide · at 6 of 6 meetings
William “Brad” MarkeySchool Committee Member · Elected citywide · at 5 of 5 meetings · from Feb 2026
Vonmarie MonizSchool Committee Member · Elected citywide · at 6 of 6 meetings
Richard Porter IIISchool Committee Member · Elected citywide · at 6 of 6 meetings"At X of Y meetings" counts the roll call at the start of each meeting in this record. Members who step out are listed on each meeting page.
Attendance
Not enough posted minutes yet to show attendance by year. A year is shown once its minutes are close to complete.
A monthly email on its votes and who was there, starting in November.
Meetings
About missing minutes
Not here yet: the district has posted minutes online for only some meetings. These pages cover every regular meeting with posted minutes: January through November 2021 (plus a special meeting on September 8, 2021), March through December 2022, January through April 2025, and January, February, March, April, May and August 2026. Minutes are not posted for the December 2021, January 2022 or February 2022 meetings, for any meeting in 2023 or 2024, or for the other 2025 and 2026 meetings; special meetings, budget sessions and subcommittees in those years are not posted either. Minutes for 2020 are posted but are not on these pages yet. The district posted some 2021 minutes twice; we read both copies and they match. Where a printed roll call does not match its count, or the minutes call a vote unanimous when the roll call shows a no vote, the vote is noted; we will ask the School Committee office to confirm.
Votes where members disagreed
Most committee votes are unanimous. These are the ones where at least one member voted no or abstained, newest first.
Aug 10Approve the proposed changes to the existing grade structure…Motion: to approve the proposed changes to the existing grade structure and…Passed Unanimous, 6 present (Cotter absent) · see note
August 10, 2026: Approve the proposed changes to the existing grade structure and school districts for the Ashley Elementary School project
To approve the proposed changes to the existing grade structure and school districts for the Ashley Elementary School project
The minutes name the mover as “Mr. William Bradley”; no member has that name (the roll call lists Mr. William Markey), so no mover is shown. We will ask the School Committee office to confirm.
From the minutes
“The School Committee voted on a motion made by Mr. William Bradley, and seconded Mr. Richard Porter, to approve the proposed changes to the existing grade structure and school districts for the Ashley Elementary School project. The roll call vote was as follows: Ms. Von Marie Moniz - Yes Mr. William Markey - Yes Mr. Christopher Cotter - Absent Ms. Melissa Costa - Yes (remote) Mr. Jack Livramento, Jr. - Yes Mayor Jon Mitchell - Yes Mr. Richard Porter Ill - Yes 6-Yeas, O-Nays, 1-Absent.” (second: Porter)
Apr 13Provide a FY27 School Committee Budget Workshop before the…Motion: to provide a FY27 School Committee Budget Workshop before the Public…Passed 6–0 · see note
April 13, 2026: Provide a FY27 School Committee Budget Workshop before the Public Hearing in May
To provide a FY27 School Committee Budget Workshop before the Public Hearing in May
The minutes give the count as 6 yes, 0 no, 1 absent, but the printed roll call reads: Jon Mitchell: yes; Christopher Cotter: yes; Jack Livramento, Jr.: yes; Melissa Costa: yes; Richard Porter III: yes; Vonmarie Moniz: yes; William Markey: yes. Because they do not match, individual votes are not shown. We will ask the School Committee office to confirm.
From the minutes
“The School Committee voted on a motion made by Mr. Richard Porter and seconded by Mr. Christopher Cotter for the Finance and Operations department to provide a FY27 School Committee Budget Workshop before the Public Hearing in May. The vote was as follows: Ms. Von Marie Moniz - Yes Mr. Richard Porter III - Yes Mr. Christopher Cotter - Yes Ms. Melissa Costa - Yes Mr. Jack Livramento, Jr. - Yes Mayor Jon Mitchell - Yes Mr. William Markey - Yes 6-Yeas, 0-Nays, 1-Absent.” (Motion: Porter, second: Cotter)
Apr 13Ratify the contract for Mr. Paul Bottome, Executive Director…Motion: to ratify the contract for Mr. Paul Bottome, Executive Director of…Passed 6–0 · see note
April 13, 2026: Ratify the contract for Mr. Paul Bottome, Executive Director of Special Education beginning April 13, 2026, as presented
To ratify the contract for Mr. Paul Bottome, Executive Director of Special Education beginning April 13, 2026, as presented
The minutes give the count as 6 yes, 0 no, 1 absent, but the printed roll call reads: Jon Mitchell: yes; Christopher Cotter: yes; Jack Livramento, Jr.: yes; Melissa Costa: yes; Richard Porter III: yes; Vonmarie Moniz: yes; William Markey: yes. Because they do not match, individual votes are not shown. We will ask the School Committee office to confirm.
From the minutes
“The School Committee voted on a motion made by Mr. Richard Porter and seconded by Mr. William Markey to ratify the contract for Mr. Paul Bottome, Executive Director of Special Education beginning April 13, 2026, as presented. The roll call vote was as follows: Ms. Von Marie Moniz - Yes Mr. Richard Porter Ill - Yes Mr. Christopher Cotter - Yes Ms. Melissa Costa - Yes Mr. Jack Livramento, Jr. - Yes Mayor Jon Mitchell - Yes Mr. William Markey - Yes 6-Yeas, O-Nays, 1-Absent.” (Motion: Porter, second: Markey)
Feb 9Accept the 2026 Sub-Committee assignments as presentedMotion: to accept the 2026 Sub-Committee assignments as presentedPassed 5–2 · No: Costa, Moniz
February 9, 2026: Accept the 2026 Sub-Committee assignments as presented
To accept the 2026 Sub-Committee assignments as presented
Yes: Cotter, Livramento, Markey, Mitchell, PorterNo: Costa, Moniz
From the minutes
“The School Committee voted on a motion made by Mr. Jack Livramento, Jr., and seconded by Mr. Christopher Cotter to accept the 2026 Sub-Committee assignments as presented. The roll call vote was as follows: Ms. Von Marie Moniz - No Mr. Richard Porter Ill - Yes Mr. Christopher Cotter - Yes Ms. Melissa Costa - No Mr. Jack Livramento, Jr. - Yes Mayor Jon Mitchell - Yes Mr. William Markey - Yes 5-Yeas, 2-Nays, 0-Absent.” (Motion: Livramento, second: Cotter)
From the New Bedford School Committee’s official minutes, posted on the New Bedford Public Schools website. The minutes are scanned documents, which we read with text recognition. Every vote is a roll call with each member named; we check every count against the names and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades officials; votes and attendance are shown exactly as the minutes record them. Member photos: Melissa Costa, Richard Porter and Von Marie Moniz from The New Bedford Light (Eleonora Bianchi, Nov. 2025); Christopher Cotter from WBSM; Mayor Jon Mitchell from the Council on Competitiveness. William “Brad” Markey from The Standard-Times (Oct. 2023 candidate forum). Jack Livramento, Jr. from The New Bedford Light (Colin Hogan, June 2022).
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