With town elections less than two weeks away in most communities, it’s a good time to remind everyone of the Students First Act, originally known as SB219 and later codified in HB1265. It was quietly signed by the Damn Emperor two summers ago and is now RSA 189:76. However, like some of those election security reform bills, the Students First Act did not take effect until a year later. Where in tarnation do voters think about school budgets in the middle of the summer?
Moving from a trashy blue city to a rural red town between the signing date and the take-effect date of the Student First Act, my mind became preoccupied with other things. Karen Thoman, a fellow refugee from Nashua and an ardent Cornerstoner, emailed me on 6/25/25 to share a Cornerstone emailer celebrating 7/1/25, the effective date. I got busy asking questions about the nuts and bolts of the bill, including graphics, dates, and the definition of when a school budget is “adopted” as it goes through various drafts, committees, and changes in the process. I eventually learned that the “adoption” is the voters voting on it at town election time as a warrant article question. At least, that’s the case for SB2 towns.
Roman numeral one of RSA 189:76 says “Before any meeting at which any school district adopts a school budget, whether or not the district has adopted the provisions of RSA 194-C:9-b, a mandatory report to voters must be posted in at least 3 appropriate places, 2 of which must be places of business or other public locations, and one of which shall be the local newspaper or, if a local newspaper is not available, the district’s website. The report must be posted at least 7 days, excluding Sundays and legal holidays, prior to the meeting.”
If your town election is on March 10, then 7 days prior to that, excluding Sunday, would be Monday, March 2. That is the day that the newly mandatory reporting must be done. It’s up to YOU, the taxpayer, to verify compliance. That means you must find out where the paper copies will be posted and what newspapers will be used. I suggest finding out now because tomorrow is Friday and we all know that the “Friday afternoon mode” is part of the human condition. Public servants, whether or not you like them or voted for them, are no exception. Call, email, and ask around to find out where to look, both in person and online. Be the local watchdog and visit the designated locations by late Monday afternoon. Check the appropriate places in your town and/or school home page.
Epsom has two superintendents and one assistant superintendent. They are paid $150G, $140G, and $115G. I’ll point out that the highest-paid one is Mr. Finley, whose jurisdiction is Epsom Central School. There’s no place called “Epsom High School,” though Ms. Bickford, the other super, is at Pembroke Academy, as is Dr. Hall, their assistant. Mr. Finley is pleasant and friendly, and I give him credit for remembering that I’ve been following the Students First Act. On Saturday, 2/21, he mentioned that the graphs have been put on display at the Epsom Town Hall and Epsom Central School.
While I praise Mr. Finley for getting that reporting done a week earlier than the compliance date, I have issues with the lower right graph titled “Top Administrator Salaries (2024-2025).” It has 4 positions listed in descending order: Superintendent ($140G), Business Administrator ($123,600), Assistant Superintendent ($115G), and IT Director ($107,201). Even though there’s some stuff about the “area agreement” with processed numbers below it, I would prefer that it say the following:
$150G Mr. Finley
$140G Ms. Bickford
$123.6G Business Admin
$115G Dr. Hall
$107.2G IT Director
That’s five positions with six-figure salaries, which I understand Epsom’s share isn’t the same for each. However, as it stands now, no other towns are paying into Epsom Central School, which is K-8. I’ve shared my thoughts with Ms. Virginia, the head selectman, and Gordon Ellis, who’s the only decent school board member and happens to be up for election on March 10. I also emailed Ann Marie Banfield and the SDGANH, but there’s only so much shouting from the rooftops one private citizen can do.
As for YOUR town, you’re on your own to verify compliance. Altschiller recently complained to the rest of the senate about Cornerstone, claiming they published instructions for potential plaintiffs in litigation. Like Laurie Ortolano has said many times about 91A, litigation for relief is a last resort. It’s in the best interest for the taxpayers and the towns they pay taxes to for the schools to just obey the law in the first place. Be the dog with a bone, and make sure yours does, too.
