Bureaucracy stifles NH school stimulus ventilation projects

Josie Albertson-Grove, The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester
·2 min read

Jun. 14—Multimillion-dollar ventilation projects in New Hampshire schools are in limbo, while the state and U.S. Departments of Education sort out how to approve spending money from the COVID relief bill passed in December.

"We're ready to go. We've done all the legwork," said Superintendent Robert Gadomski of about $2.1 million worth of ventilation projects planned for Somersworth Middle School and Somersworth High.

But the spending has yet to be approved.

Because Somersworth plans to use federal stimulus funding to pay for the ventilation projects, the district has to abide by rules set by the U.S. Department of Education.

The package passed in December listed heating, ventilation and air conditioning projects as acceptable uses of the $156 million that came to New Hampshire schools in January. The ventilation project would have used much of the $2.2 million that came to Somersworth with that round of money.

Months after the funding was announced, the state Department of Education has been telling districts that federal guidance requires they sign off on projects before they go out to bid — an unusual requirement for school construction projects.

New Hampshire's congressional delegation wrote a letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, asking him to clear up what they said was confusing guidance, and remove the requirement to get projects approved before districts started collecting bids.

Other ventilation projects in other districts are on hold too.

Nashua had been eyeing ventilation upgrades, and school boards around the state were considering similar projects. Improvements to air-circulation systems have been key in schools' effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, and upgrades will only help student health, Gadomski said.

Gadomski said he hopes the issue can be resolved soon.

With the paucity of construction aid for schools available in New Hampshire, Somersworth saw the stimulus funds as the perfect opportunity to tackle the long-needed ventilation project, he said.

The district went through the process of collecting bids and planning the project. Somersworth saw funding for its stimulus-funded summer programs approved, but kept waiting for the approval to spend on construction. But the wait stretched on too long, Gadomski said.

"About two weeks ago was our drop-dead date to be able to complete the project over the summertime," Gadomski said.

"It's putting the entire project in jeopardy."