Winthrop Schools Blocked From Grants Over Chapter 3A Zoning Noncompliance

WINTHROP — March 23, 2026 — Winthrop schools lose tens of thousands in federal grant money over 3A zoning noncompliance. Superintendent Dylan Mello told the School Committee at its March 23 meeting that the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has added 3A compliance as a required eligibility criterion for multiple grant programs, costing the district a $17,000 supplemental mental health grant payment and a $9,950 21st Century Supplemental Grant for special education after-school supports, with a $20,000 summer enhancement grant also now off the table. Most consequentially, the district's exemplary-rated 21st Century Grant program — currently worth an estimated $140,000 per year and funding after-school academic and social-emotional support for grades three through five — comes up for mandatory three-year reapplication in FY27, and Mello warned that if Winthrop remains out of compliance, it will be locked out of the funding stream for at least three more years. "Why would the Department of Education be putting handcuffs on us for a decision that students can't make," Mello said. The committee also learned the district's Title I entitlement grant is projected to drop by roughly $54,000 in FY27 due to federal poverty-level recalculations, and that out-of-district special education placements are currently budgeted at $2,116,000, not including transportation.