CONTOOCOOK VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT
District Meeting Part 1
February 4, 2020
6:00 p.m.
ConVal High School Gymnasium
District Meeting Part 2
Voting in Individual Towns
March 10, 2020
Category: News
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CONTOOCOOK VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT
District Meeting Part 1
February 4, 2020
6:00 p.m.
ConVal High School Gymnasium
District Meeting Part 2
Voting in Individual Towns
March 10, 2020
[post_title] => Announcement Of District Meetings
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As part of the budget planning and approval process, the ConVal School Board has created explanatory documents that are designed to inform the public.
The SAU has prepared a Powerpoint presentation which guided the budget hearing presentation on January 7th. This file is available in .pdf form by clicking here.
The ConVal budget overview by school board member Alan Edelkind (Dublin) details the fundamentals of school district budgeting:
- funding sources (federal, state, local)
- categories of expenditures (costs for personnel, professional services, property and maintenance) and
- budget reserves.
The document also explains the budget formula and the components that make up the district assessment.
[post_title] => SAU, School Board Provide Budget Explanations [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => school-board-provides-budget-explanations [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2020-01-23 07:29:28 [post_modified_gmt] => 2020-01-23 12:29:28 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://schoolboard.convalsd.net/?p=4299 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [2] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 4294 [post_author] => 9 [post_date] => 2020-01-20 22:06:35 [post_date_gmt] => 2020-01-21 03:06:35 [post_content] =>During the next eight weeks, there’s going to be a lot of activity as the various school boards in the area complete the process associated with getting voter approval for the 2020-21 school year budgets.
The ConVal School District Administration began the process to develop our next budget last summer. The proposed budget was approved by the School Board on January 7th. The Deliberative Session Part I is scheduled for 6:00 pm on February 4th at the ConVal High School gym. Part II (voting) will be conducted on March 10 in the respective Town Halls.
The proposed gross budget is $50,565,103 – a 1.87% increase over the current school year. The School Board website contains a lot of information.
The ongoing challenges associated with minimizing increases in our operating budget and providing a quality education show no signs of abating. These include, but are not limited to, unfunded federal and state mandates, inadequate state funding for education, aging infrastructure, and well-deserved increases in staff salaries and benefits.
Hopefully, the NH state commission looking at education funding that recently started work will come up with some equitable and innovative options to reduce the burden on property taxes.
These challenges are in addition to our slow but steady decline in enrollment – which raises the following perennial questions: why isn’t the budget going down instead of up? How long can the District maintain our current “one high school, two middle schools, and eight elementary schools” model? When is “small too small”? The answers are not easy and are beyond the scope of this article, but the questions remain valid and will continue to be discussed for the foreseeable future. No decisions have been made and no schools have been “targeted”. We’re simply doing our jobs by looking at alternatives in the event we reach the point where we’ll need to bring a proposal to the voters.
Of more immediate concern is the need to address our aging infrastructure. We’re working on a long-range plan that will likely include a proposed infrastructure bond for voter consideration next year and, hopefully, subsequent partial compensation through NH state “Building Aid” for which we recently submitted our application.
The 2020-21 Capital Improvement Plan includes $1.22M worth of projects. We’re proposing several options to fund these: the operating budget ($0.08M) and more aggressive use of our Capital and Athletic Trust Funds ($1.14M). Note: The plan did include a proposed warrant article for additional appropriations (a $0.54M “paving” Warrant Article) but the Board subsequently decided to defer until next year.
The proposed budget also includes an expansion of our current pre-K program at three schools. This will allow additional students to attend and will include an all-day program for 4-year-olds.
There will be a warrant article regarding a new long-term solar power project for installation on the high school property. While the savings expected to be achieved won’t solve the larger District issues mentioned above, voter approval of this project will allow the broader CONVAL community to demonstrate our commitment to the broader global challenge associated with climate change.
The Board and Administration will continue to work to deliver a quality education at reasonable cost. We encourage your participation in both the discussions at the Deliberative Session Part I and in voting on March 10.
Jim Fredrickson
Chairman, Budget & Property Committee
ConVal School Board
In keeping with the multiple action steps outlined in the District’s Strategic Plan, the Education Committee has been actively involved in guiding and monitoring the curriculum renewal cycle, program development, instructional practices, and professional development which provide our students with high-quality programs of instruction which promote their individual academic achievement and success and our staff with the professional development needed to enhance their teaching skills. Following are a sampling of some of the areas on which we have focused our attention.
At the high school level, based on a review of the math department courses and requirements, the Board recognized the need to enhance the math offerings, by requiring that all students participate in math classes until they pass both parts of Algebra as a graduation requirement. Support services to enable all students to meet this goal are being developed and implemented.
Following a review of our counseling services and current programs, our administrators and staff look to expand programming of our K-12 school counseling program with one area of focus centered on how we can better support students who have experienced trauma.
At the middle school level, following a review of the educational programs and practices at both buildings, staff and administrators reported out the results of the inquiry groups which had been investigating effective and innovative middle school teaching practices, and issues of equity in the middle school opportunities available in both buildings.
As our declining enrollment impacts our instructional programs at some of our elementary schools, multi-grade classes have been used to address under-enrolled classes; however, the use of multi-age has been investigated and is being piloted at our schools in Dublin and in Francestown. Based on the initial reporting out of their programs, the Board is continuing to explore this approach for its potential benefit to our students.
One of our Board Goals is to institute Universal Preschool in the District. Following a review of current programs and practices and the need for these services, our administrative team and teachers are proposing to expand our current half-day program to a full-time program for four-year-old students in the District. The proposed budget for 2020-21 includes funds to implement Phase I of this new program.
As we look to the future, know that the Education Committee is committed to providing our all our students and professional staff with the educational programs and resources which they need to develop their individual skills and abilities.
[post_title] => Update From The Education Committee [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => update-from-the-education-committee [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2020-01-15 21:30:26 [post_modified_gmt] => 2020-01-16 02:30:26 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://schoolboard.convalsd.net/?p=4281 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [4] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 4252 [post_author] => 9 [post_date] => 2020-01-12 16:56:59 [post_date_gmt] => 2020-01-12 21:56:59 [post_content] =>The annual budget for the ConVal School District is subject to a two-part approval process.
The Deliberative Session, or District Meeting Part I, is dedicated to discussions and amendments to the proposed budget. The second is the Voting Session that determines whether district voters support or decline the proposed budget.
On Tuesday, February 4th, 2020, the ConVal School Board will conduct the Deliberative Session on its 2020-2021 Budget and Warrant Articles in the ConVal High School Gymnasium, beginning at 6:00 pm. The snow date for this event is Thursday, February 6th, 2020.
The Deliberative Session is conducted for the purpose of discussing, debating, and possibly amending the budget and warrant articles. This session determines the final form of the proposed budget. For example, an appropriation article can be amended from one amount of money to a different amount. Once agreement on all elements of the budget has been reached, the proposal is finalized to appear on the March ballot.
In the second or Voting Session, voters in all nine district towns either endorse or decline the proposed operating budget. Voting by ballot will take place on Tuesday, March 10th, 2020 in each town’s designated polling place.
Should the proposed budget fail in the official ballot referendum on March 10th, a "default budget" will be enacted. While the default budget is typically lower than the proposed budget, it will likely result in position cuts and loss of educational opportunities for students.
To see the annual meeting timeline, please click here. To review the proposed ConVal budget before the Deliberative Session on February 4th, please follow this link.
[post_title] => How The School District Budget Approval Process Works [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => the-school-district-budget-approval-process [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2020-01-12 17:24:07 [post_modified_gmt] => 2020-01-12 22:24:07 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://schoolboard.convalsd.net/?p=4252 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [5] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 4279 [post_author] => 9 [post_date] => 2020-01-09 11:34:00 [post_date_gmt] => 2020-01-09 16:34:00 [post_content] =>The mission of the School Board Communication Committee is to:
- Create positive, proactive communications that directly aid the district in achieving its strategic plan.
- Celebrate the successes of ConVal students, faculty, staff, and initiatives.
- Build and improve relationships with stakeholders to solicit support for programs and budget.
- Enhance the district’s reputation/standing and promote our “high quality” district.
- Promote ongoing, timely communications and create a means for engagement by the communities.
- Keep info/conversations positive and ongoing as we look forward to reimagine a sustainable and fiscally responsible ConVal for the future.
The Communication Committee continues to work towards improving communication among our communities and to find more effective means for meeting our goals on a daily basis. If you have a town newsletter or town/group social media account that you would like the Communication Committee to forward updates when posted on our website, please contact communicationcommittee@conval.edu and we will try to keep you better informed.
The Communication Committee meets as needed.
Agenda and notes can be found on the ConVal website listed under the school board committee archive: agendas and minutes.
Members:
Alan Edelkind
Katherine Heck
Janine Lesser
Niki McGettigan (C)
Kristen Reilly
At the January 7th ConVal School Board budget hearing, Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Rizzo Saunders presented the proposed budget for the 2020-2021 school year. The administration and the School Board have been working on the budget for the last several months and have been discussing, refining, and revising it to reach this final proposed version.
The ConVal School District budget is based on a set of assumptions for the next fiscal year which fall into one of three main categories:
Procedural assumptions are those that continue to support the mission, vision, and values of the District. These assumptions include referencing ConVal class size guidelines, annual reviews of Special Education caseloads, and the potential reallocation of existing resources.
Financial assumptions primarily deal with fixed costs. They include items such as collective bargaining agreements, contractual obligations, health insurance costs, utilities, and legal obligations.
Programmatic assumptions deal with curriculum, the continuum of services for identified students, community education programs, as well as technology investments and upgrades.
To get an overview of the proposed ConVal 2020-2021 budget, please follow this link. For a more detailed view of the budget, please click here.
[post_title] => ConVal 2020-2021 Budget Presented At Board Hearing [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => conval-2020-2021-budget-presented-at-board-meeting [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2020-01-12 16:46:10 [post_modified_gmt] => 2020-01-12 21:46:10 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://schoolboard.convalsd.net/?p=4256 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [7] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 4254 [post_author] => 9 [post_date] => 2020-01-07 08:18:00 [post_date_gmt] => 2020-01-07 13:18:00 [post_content] =>As the SAU 1 administrative team and the ConVal School Board prepare to make important school budget decisions to be voted on at the district meeting this March, a familiar struggle is taking shape. The financial demands placed on local schools to maintain high-quality education plays out as taxpayers worry about affordability.
Why are we facing increasing tax rates to fund our schools at the local level? A driving force is New Hampshire lawmakers are downshifting school costs through unfunded mandates. This issue is the same for all of the 221 towns and 13 cities in New Hampshire. In addition, Federal laws which must be followed compound these costs as Federal grants do not fully cover the requirements necessary for compliance.
An unfunded mandate occurs when a new piece of state or federal legislation requires the school district to perform functions without providing funding, or adequate funding, to facilitate the requirement. The 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution leaves the responsibility for public K-12 education with the states. Each school district is administered and financed by the local community along with that district's state government. The New Hampshire Constitution guarantees an “adequate education” for all citizens of the state. The New Hampshire Constitution does not specify who is financially responsible for this guarantee. When the state or federal legislature passes a new law without funding, any increases in cost that result from complying with the unfunded mandate becomes part of the local school budget. Standards and quality of education consequently vary widely from state to state and even district to district. The local district is either supported or limited by its budget. The budget is dictated by what local taxpayers will approve.
Because of the increased awareness in disparity, during the 1960s compelling interest in our nation’s public schools was addressed by the Federal Government through the legislative process creating laws and providing assistance to states and schools through educational grants to enact these laws. Federal Education laws that are most commonly known are the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Title I, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and Every Student Succeeds Act (Common Core). These laws authorize federal grants for elementary and secondary school programs for children of low-income families; school library resources, textbooks and other instructional materials; supplemental education centers and services; strengthening state education agencies; education research; and professional development for teachers. While these federal grants provide support for their mandates, they do not cover the entire cost. The remaining cost must be covered by the state and local taxes. As the local school budget is built, all federal mandates must be met.
As far as New Hampshire State Education mandates and the effect they have on the local school budget you need only to turn to the local news to become apprised of the disparity in education funding occurring in New Hampshire and the impact it has on the local tax. Many of the educational laws passed by New Hampshire legislature and changes made to standards that come from the Department of Education are well intended to promote student success, but these laws do not, in many cases, come with any additional funding. An example of a state unfunded mandate is the 2016 New Hampshire K-12 STEM curriculum requirements. The requirements proposed will produce more skilled workers, inspire innovation, increase New Hampshire business growth and affect the New Hampshire economy. There is certainly a valid return on this educational investment. However, only a fraction of the additional funding needed to meet the new State STEM standards was provided to the schools and the result: The local property tax must increase to comply with the New Hampshire K-12 STEM initiative.
The administrators in the ConVal School District work year-round to produce all of the financial data necessary to analyze a “ConVal” education. The administration carefully checks off the right boxes on accounting and compliance reports required by the State and the Federal government to assure accuracy in crafting a fiscally sound budget. Detailed financial analysis is compiled to monitor and evaluate each school building’s expenditures. The focus of the Superintendent and the School Board is the classroom where the critical work happens and where the allocation of funds and resources provides services that affect student performance.
In summary, local schools are required to comply with federal and state-mandated laws. While federal and state laws’ express purposes are to raise achievement for all students and to close the achievement gap, the additional funding needed to translate laws or requirements into a classroom reality is not provided. The looming question as to whether or not the funding is adequate to accomplish the laws’ purpose has become clear and yet the funding issue remains unanswered by Washington lawmakers and the New Hampshire legislature. The growing reality for New Hampshire residents and businesses is that the burden falls on the local tax base to make up the difference. The ConVal School District is compelled to sustain high education standards and build a budget that supports those standards and student success. Residents can be assured that every local tax dollar spent in the ConVal School District is a closely monitored resource invested in a quality education for our students and our future.
For more detailed information on Federal Policy and NEW HAMPSHIRE Policy laws enacted that impact the budget and decision making at the local level please visit:
“Laws & Guidance Overview”, U.S. Department of Education, link
“The Federal Role in Education”, U.S. Department of Education, link
Baron, Kathryn. “Finding a Balance for the Federal Role in Education Policy”, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, December, 2016, link
“2019 State Education Policy Watchlist”, Education Commission of the States, link
Austin, Donald; Christina, Barrett. “2017 Legislative Summary”, New Hampshire School Boards Association, 2017, link
Zelin, Gerald M.. Glynn, Meghan S. “New State Statutes Regulating Schools”, Drummond Woodsum. Copyright 2018, All rights are expressly reserved. These materials may not be reproduced without prior written permission. link
“How the courts have shaped education funding, and what comes next”, Reaching Higher New Hampshire, March, 2019, link
Duffort, Lola.“Bill to limit unfunded mandates could have unintended effect on special ed” Concord Monitor. March, 2017. link
Leachman, Michael, Masterson, Kathleen, Figeuroa, Eric. “A Punishing Decade for School Funding” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. November, 2019, link
[post_title] => State and Federal Mandates Affect Local Education Budget [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => state-and-federal-mandates-affect-local-education-budget [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2020-01-12 16:23:49 [post_modified_gmt] => 2020-01-12 21:23:49 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://schoolboard.convalsd.net/?p=4254 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [8] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 4064 [post_author] => 9 [post_date] => 2019-11-06 05:54:30 [post_date_gmt] => 2019-11-06 10:54:30 [post_content] =>On Saturday, November 2nd, the ConVal School Board met with SAU administrators and school principals at the SAU office for a day-long budget development workshop.
Budgets established by the eight elementary schools, two middle schools, and the high school were examined, as were the district’s administrative expenses and program offerings.
This first round in the district-wide budget development process began with three sets of assumptions for the 2020-2021 fiscal year — procedural, financial, and programmatic.
Procedural assumptions are those assumptions that support the mission, vision, and values of the District. “Mission critical” is a term used throughout the process when deciding items placed into the budget. These assumptions include referencing ConVal class size guidelines, annual reviews of Special Education caseloads, and the potential reallocation of existing resources.
Financial assumptions primarily deal with fixed costs. They include items such as collective bargaining agreements, contractual obligations, health insurance costs, utilities, capital improvements, and legal obligations.
Programmatic assumptions deal with curriculum, the continuum of services for identified students, community education programs, and technology investments and upgrades.
Board members looked over every line item to determine what the overall expected expenditures would look like for the 2020-2021 school year and where savings could be made.
On November 12, the Budget and Property Committee will further discuss, research, and revisit portions of the budget, and an additional meeting will be held on Thursday, November 14, if needed, to continue this process.
The budget will continue to be reviewed, revised, and refined several times before it will be presented to voters in March 2020. Minutes from these work sessions and committee meetings will be posted online.
[post_title] => ConVal School District Budget Planning 2020-2021 [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => board-district-budget-planning-2020-2021 [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2020-01-12 17:30:14 [post_modified_gmt] => 2020-01-12 22:30:14 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://schoolboard.convalsd.net/?p=4064 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [9] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 4048 [post_author] => 9 [post_date] => 2019-11-04 06:34:02 [post_date_gmt] => 2019-11-04 11:34:02 [post_content] =>Every March, all voters in the district are provided with the opportunity to vote on the budget for the following school year.
In addition, there are some items that frequently appear and require voter approval, including acceptance of the auditor reports, appropriation of funds for the various district trust funds, and School Board member salaries.
The ballots may also include some additional warrant articles that require voter approval. Warrant articles can be initiated either by the School Board or by voter petition.
Since the 2020 district ballots could include all of the above, the School Board will work to keep all voters informed along the way.
The Superintendent and Administration have been working on the budget these past weeks and made a presentation to the entire school Board on November 2nd.
This daylong work session marked the formal rollout of the 2020-2021 budget.
[post_title] => The 2020-2021 ConVal School Budget Begins [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => the-2020-2021-conval-school-budget-begins [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2019-10-27 21:37:23 [post_modified_gmt] => 2019-10-28 01:37:23 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://schoolboard.convalsd.net/?p=4048 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) ) [post_count] => 10 [current_post] => -1 [in_the_loop] => [post] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 4302 [post_author] => 9 [post_date] => 2020-01-22 12:32:54 [post_date_gmt] => 2020-01-22 17:32:54 [post_content] =>CONTOOCOOK VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT
District Meeting Part 1
February 4, 2020
6:00 p.m.
ConVal High School Gymnasium
District Meeting Part 2
Voting in Individual Towns
March 10, 2020
As part of the budget planning and approval process, the ConVal School Board has created explanatory documents that are designed to inform the public.
The SAU has prepared a Powerpoint presentation which guided the budget hearing presentation on January 7th. This file is available in .pdf form by clicking here.
During the next eight weeks, there’s going to be a lot of activity as the various school boards in the area complete the process associated with getting voter approval for the 2020-21 school year budgets.
The ConVal School District Administration began the process to develop our next budget last summer. The proposed budget was approved by the School Board on January 7th.
In keeping with the multiple action steps outlined in the District’s Strategic Plan, the Education Committee has been actively involved in guiding and monitoring the curriculum renewal cycle, program development, instructional practices, and professional development which provide our students with high-quality programs of instruction which promote their individual academic achievement and success and our staff with the professional development needed to enhance their teaching skills.
The annual budget for the ConVal School District is subject to a two-part approval process.
The Deliberative Session, or District Meeting Part I, is dedicated to discussions and amendments to the proposed budget. The second is the Voting Session that determines whether district voters support or decline the proposed budget.
On Tuesday,
Read More: How The School District Budget Approval Process Works
The mission of the School Board Communication Committee is to:
- Create positive, proactive communications that directly aid the district in achieving its strategic plan.
- Celebrate the successes of ConVal students, faculty, staff, and initiatives.
- Build and improve relationships with stakeholders to solicit support for programs and budget.
At the January 7th ConVal School Board budget hearing, Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Rizzo Saunders presented the proposed budget for the 2020-2021 school year. The administration and the School Board have been working on the budget for the last several months and have been discussing, refining, and revising it to reach this final proposed version.
The ConVal School District budget is based on a set of assumptions for the next fiscal year which fall into one of three main categories:
Procedural assumptions are those that continue to support the mission,
Read More: ConVal 2020-2021 Budget Presented At Board Hearing
As the SAU 1 administrative team and the ConVal School Board prepare to make important school budget decisions to be voted on at the district meeting this March, a familiar struggle is taking shape. The financial demands placed on local schools to maintain high-quality education plays out as taxpayers worry about affordability.
Why are we facing increasing tax rates to fund our schools at the local level?
Read More: State and Federal Mandates Affect Local Education Budget
On Saturday, November 2nd, the ConVal School Board met with SAU administrators and school principals at the SAU office for a day-long budget development workshop.
Budgets established by the eight elementary schools, two middle schools, and the high school were examined, as were the district’s administrative expenses and program offerings.
This first round in the district-wide budget development process began with three sets of assumptions for the 2020-2021 fiscal year — procedural,
Every March, all voters in the district are provided with the opportunity to vote on the budget for the following school year.
In addition, there are some items that frequently appear and require voter approval, including acceptance of the auditor reports, appropriation of funds for the various district trust funds, and School Board member salaries.