METCO leaders urge Bedford support for upcoming advocacy day, outline blueprint and funding opportunities

METCO leadership briefed the Bedford School Committee on local program activity, an integration blueprint and upcoming advocacy opportunities.

Millie Arbahe Thomas, introduced to the committee as executive director of METCO (speaker present via Zoom), invited Bedford to send representatives to a regional advocacy day next week and to a conference titled “Living the Legacy of METCO.” She described a MECCO blueprint — a document that lays out 13 commitments for racial equity and integration — and said a competitive grant application (about $1.5 million) would select a handful of districts for multi‑year, intensive implementation support if awarded.

Local director Akhil reported current local METCO enrollment figures by building — Davis, Lane, JGMS and Bedford High — and said the district aims to restore overall METCO participation toward roughly 100 students across its four buildings. “We actually have 9 accepted so far and we have our second group of families opening up next week,” he said, noting steps to keep families connected and to run summer orientation and stay‑in‑place programs that support transition and retention.

Why it matters: Millie said METCO has a modest pool ($400,000 referenced as a racial‑equity line item) to award small grants to districts this year and asked committee members to lobby state legislators for a larger, sustained increase in per‑pupil funding. She described an advocacy strategy that includes a short regional meeting with key legislators and district leaders.

Committee members asked about student recruitment and supports for families; presenters described open houses, showcases, and sibling‑accommodation practices as levers to improve acceptance rates. Akhil described district efforts such as using alumni testimony, partnering with peer leaders, and piloting summer orientation programs to make the transition smoother for Boston families. Committee members offered to support outreach and to attend advocacy events.

The committee did not take formal action on METCO funding at this meeting but recorded strong support and plans to participate in the upcoming advocacy events.