MassVoter.com← New Bedford School Committee
New Bedford Vice Chair (2026)
Melissa Costa
Elected citywide · 3 terms in this record
A monthly email on how they voted, starting in November.
Terms
Your New Bedford ballot: 15 quizzes, about a minute each.
Start my ballot →Record at a glance · 2024–2025 term
How these numbers work
- Counted from the official minutes, for 2024–2025 term only. Committee meetings and routine votes (adjourning, approving minutes) are not counted.
- Attendance counts the meetings where the minutes list Costa as present or absent at the start.
- Only votes the minutes record member by member are counted. Voice votes and votes given only as a count (for example 6-3 with no names) are not.
- Percentages are shown only when there are at least 10 meetings or votes to count.
- A split vote is one where at least one member voted yes and another voted no. “In the minority” means on the side with fewer votes; ties are not counted.
- “Whole committee” combines every member’s record for the same term.
These numbers describe the record; they are not a grade. A no vote, an abstention or a minority vote is neither good nor bad. MassVoter never rates officials.
In the news
- Costa, Porter, and Moniz win School Committee raceThe New Bedford Light · Nov 4, 2025
- New Bedford School Comm. approves safe zones for immigrant students, limiting ICE accessNew Bedford Guide · Aug 13, 2025
- School Committee fails to pass resolution supporting immigrant studentsThe New Bedford Light · Jun 10, 2025
- New Bedford’s Colleen Dawicki recognized for her “honorable elected public service”New Bedford Guide · Jan 15, 2025
Stories that name Melissa Costa in the headline or opening, newest first, from 25 free news outlets (see the list). Headlines appear as each outlet published them; MassVoter does not write, choose or rate them. Only stories that are free to read are listed.
Disclosure: MassVoter’s founder, Michael Silvia, is the publisher of Fall River Reporter and New Bedford Guide.
Attendance
At the start of 4 of 4 School Committee meetings in 2024–2025 term.
Missed none.
Every meeting (4)
- Apr 14, 2025 · Regular: Present
- Mar 10, 2025 · Regular: Present
- Feb 10, 2025 · Regular: Present
- Jan 13, 2025 · Regular: Present
Votes where members disagreed · 2024–2025 term
None in this term.
Votes with no disagreement (33)
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).
How to read these pagesWhere the votes come from, how we check them against the official minutes, what isn't included yet, and how to report a mistake.About city pages →