After Shaheen Advocacy, Department of Education Reimburses Funding for Already Completed Ventilation Projects at Mascoma Valley Elementary Schools

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, applauded the reimbursement of promised funding from the U.S. Department of Education to the Mascoma Valley School District for completed ventilation projects at two elementary schools. After the School District was notified by the Department that its funding wouldn’t be reimbursed, Shaheen directly called on Education Secretary McMahon to investigate and reimburse the District at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing earlier this year.

“I’m pleased to see that the Department of Education heeded my calls and finally reimbursed the Mascoma Valley School District for already completed repairs to ventilation systems that help create a healthy and comfortable learning environment for students,” said Senator Shaheen. “Mascoma Valley, like so many rural school districts, stretch every dollar for the students they serve. That means when the federal government promises support, it needs to follow through. I’m going to keep putting pressure on Secretary McMahon to release every single dollar that is owed to our schools.”

After facing challenges finding contractors to replace inadequate HVAC systems at two of its elementary schools, Mascoma Valley School District received the Department’s approval for delayed use of COVID relief funds. The District completed the project with the assurance from the federal government that the cost would be reimbursed. Unfortunately, in May, the Department denied the School District’s reimbursement, even though the it had followed the rules and had previously received approval from the Department.

In the wake of federal funding cuts to programs that support New Hampshire’s schools and universities, Shaheen has been working to hold the Trump administration’s Department of Education accountable. Recently, Shaheen led the New Hampshire Congressional delegation in calling on the Department to restore Congressionally approved funding for the Education Alliance for New Hampshire’s Statewide Family Engagement Center grant, TRIO grants for the University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) Talent Search and McNair programs and the state’s Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). Shaheen also led the delegation in urging U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to reconsider the termination of the Franklin School District’s Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) grant to support professional development and preventative measures against violence in schools and among students.

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