New Bedford Charter School Chief Retiring After 51-Year Career

Steven Furtado, Sr., the current Executive Director of New Bedford's Global Learning Charter Public School, is retiring in June after a 51-year career as an educator and administrator in various school districts in our region.

Furtado has served as Executive Director of Global Learning for the past 15 years, after spending many years in the Freetown-Lakeville School District and in Somerset, where he served as superintendent.

He said his retirement will include spending more time with his family, including his two granddaughters, and traveling.

Furtado stopped by Townsquare Sunday this week to reflect on his career and the successes of the Global Learning Charter Public School.

This is actually Furtado's second retirement. He first retired in 2008 after serving a stint as superintendent in the Freetown-Lakeville School District.

"In 2009, I received a phone call asking if I would like to spend 90 days at the Global Learning Charter Public School, and 15 years later it has been a long 90 days, but it's been a great 15 years," Furtado said.

Furtado has long been an advocate for expanding the student population at Global Learning, which now stands at around 500.

"We'll be asking the state to okay an expansion of about 100 students in the next couple of years," he said. "That would bring us to about 600, a number that would be comfortable for us."

Furtado also led the effort to convert a former convent building on its Nye Street campus into a new education building with an emphasis on science, technology, the arts and math. The building opened in 2023.

"We had to raise every nickel," he said. "It was an $11 million project, but thanks to private donations, help from Joan and Irwin Jacobs and many others, we only had to borrow about $2.5 million."

GLCPS will pay off that note in the near future.

Steve Furtado, Jr., the school's current business manager, has been appointed the new Executive Director. His dad will serve as a mentor over the next year.

Steven Furtado, Sr. will be honored on April 26 at the school's annual Global Gala at Allendale Country Club, along with this year's scholarship winners. Proceeds will benefit students at GLCPS. Tickets can be purchases on the Global Learning Charter Public School website.

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