EAST LONGMEADOW — Football and track fans from other towns who come to East Longmeadow High School to watch their team compete will soon do so on new bleachers, thanks to a $150,000 earmark in the fiscal year 2026 state budget. The earmark was secured by state Sen. Jake Oliveira (D-Ludlow), who represents the town.
The funding is part of more than $750,000 in Fair Share Amendment funding for public schools Oliveira sought for schools in his district.
“We are delivering on the promise of the Fair Share Amendment,” the Ludlow senator said in a press release about the funding. “This isn’t just about a number on a spreadsheet — it’s about real outcomes for our kids, for our educators and for our regional economy. It’s about making sure students from Palmer to South Hadley have the same high-quality facilities, programs and support as anywhere else in the commonwealth.”
East Longmeadow Public Schools Superintendent Gordon Smith said Oliveira’s office reached out to the School Department to ask what capital needs were not funded this year. Smith provided the School Department’s five-year plan, and the senator’s office chose the bleachers. This is the first time Smith could remember the School Department receiving an earmark.
The football field and track project were completed in 2011. Smith said the plan originally called for bleachers on the visitors’ side, mirroring those for the home team’s fans, but it was not completed due to the cost. While the School Department has wanted to replace the “makeshift” bleachers on the visitors’ side, Smith said, “There have been more urgent needs in our capital plan every year and it just kept getting moved off.”
With the ongoing high school building project including restroom facilities and a concession stand, Smith said, “It made sense that we also complete this.” East Longmeadow is building a new high school on the site of the existing one. The $177.5 million project also includes a redesign of the campus. The football field is one of the few areas that will remain intact.
“Sen. Oliveira has always been supportive,” Smith said. Referring to the tight budget school departments across the state have experienced this year, he said, “Obviously, the budget has been a challenging process this year, and I think he’s seen some of the struggles.”
Smith said he is contacting vendors to get quotes on the new bleachers. He said he was unsure of the timeline to install them.
