For those who may not know me, I served with Doris Hohensee on the Nashua School Board from 2016-2020.
I was the Finance Committee Chair and participated directly in union contract negotiations.
In my view, the unions, particularly the teachers’ union, ran the show. Superintendents exist to please the union, so there won’t be disruptions in the classroom.
After my experience on the Board, I came away believing that our administrators didn’t care about the students or their academic performance. I say this because a Nashua employee hired by the Board developed an analytical tool that reviewed test scores, identified individual student deficiencies, and referenced specific remedial instruction. Sadly, the Superintendent dismissed it.
As far as funding goes, the unions consider all money belongs to them. They tolerate the 20% of the budget that goes to things like curriculum, utilities, internet, sports, books, maintenance, and heat.
Limiting administrators to 6% will be accepted because the other unions will feel they will be able to get a piece of it.
The superintendent’s office prepares budgets. At least in Nashua, we went through the proposed budget in a series of weekly meetings from March until June. Once a budget is agreed upon, it is presented to the public for comment – not a vote!
Unlike many towns in New Hampshire, the school board recommends a budget, and the Board of Aldermen must approve it.
What you really need to understand is that 80% of the budget is salaries and benefits. The remaining 20% pays everything else. Yes, I just repeated myself. It’s important you understand this.
A budget cut is a line item that doesn’t get an increase. Budgets are baselined using the budget from the previous year.
One thing that should happen, but doesn’t, is that salary increases should be tied to academic performance. Teachers will get their step-increase despite student performance.
Negotiating the Teachers’ Union contract took most of a year. It’s planned that way. It’s extremely likely that the contract will go to mediation. Why? Because the process allows it, and teachers hold out for as long as they can, inflicting as much pain on the process as possible.
In Nashua, the teachers refused to provide college admission reference letters for students to leverage their negotiating position. It actually backfired, but that’s how they think.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the increase in administrators is tied to the acceptance of grant money. Special Ed is a huge expense and requires supervision. The same would be true for ESL.
On a final note, you won’t have any impact on the board unless you have a majority to effect an outcome. The best you can do is speak truth to power and watch them do whatever they want.I must say that I learned to be dilatory, and it became great sport in my final two years to propose things that I knew they would vote against, even when it benefited them and/or the district.
