One of the largest portions of the investment is allocated to school meals, totalling €1,220,000, “to guarantee nearly 15,000 lunches” for students ranging from preschool to secondary education, the municipality highlighted in a statement.

Contacted by the Lusa news agency, Mayor Hélder Guerreiro (PS) explained that the meals are provided through agreements established with local social welfare institutions (IPSS), reflecting a “commitment to quality and the consumption of local products.”

“Currently, basically all schools are supplied by local Private Institutions of Social Solidarity (IPSS), which prepare the meals for our children; consequently, we no longer rely on purchasing packaged products shipped from afar,” he said.

This approach, he continued, also serves as “a very important financial boost” for these associations: “It is an investment we feel is excellent and one that has been working very well.”

In addition to local meal provision, the municipality will spend approximately €1.3 million during the 2026/2027 school year on the OdeTE +Sucesso project, which “includes initiatives to promote educational success, inclusion, and the well-being of children and young people,” according to the statement.

This investment, he added, includes “hiring 10 professionals to bolster specialised services in the areas of psychology, speech therapy, and intercultural mediation.”

A total sum of €764,000 is set to be transferred to the municipality’s five school clusters, aiming to “grant school administrations autonomy in daily management and in addressing the schools’ needs.”

The local authority also projects an investment of €525,000 in school transport, ensuring the operation of “185 special routes covering approximately 4,876 kilometres daily and serving 552 students.”

An investment of €265,000 is allocated for curriculum enrichment activities (AEC) through agreements with 10 local entities “to develop activities within the schools.”

Plans are also in place to boost family support and engagement activities, specifically AAAF (activities for preschool children) and CAF (family support for the first cycle of basic education)—through agreements with local entities worth €350,000.”

In its statement, the Alentejo coast municipality noted that, as direct support for families purchasing school supplies at local shops, it issued 3,124 vouchers worth €25 each to students in grades 1 through 12 (totalling €78,100), with an additional €90,000 allocated for study and merit-based scholarships.

The municipality will also provide €100,000 in financial support for the integrated music education program for 150 local students, as well as another €100,000 for digital literacy and emotional education initiatives and the “School Days” event, among other projects.

At the start of the new school year, the municipality also inaugurated new school libraries at the 1st-cycle basic schools in Odemira, representing a municipal investment of €150,000, and in Sabóia, which received logistical support from the local government.

In a statement, the municipality indicated that it is awaiting approval of a funding application submitted to the European Investment Bank for the renovation of the Odemira Secondary School and the Damião de Odemira School (both in Odemira), as well as the Eng—Rafael Amaro da Costa School in São Teotónio, with the total project value reaching €30 million.

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