CLAREMONT, N.H. – The Claremont School Board met on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at the Sugar River Valley Regional Technical Center, where board members heard from Claremont resident Don Lavalette. Lavalette had previously been considered for a seat on the school board, but when the vote between him and another candidate ended in a tie, the board reappointed former member Frank Sprague to fill the vacancy.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Lavalette presented the board with a suggestion to promote volunteerism by offering his time as a volunteer coordinator for the school district at no cost. Lavalette said he would create a system to train and manage a group of volunteers to serve the school district, and act as the contact person for the program. He told the board that he had already received several inquiries from residents who wanted to donate their time to the schools. Additionally, Lavalette pledged that he and his wife would pay for the cost of background checks for the first five people to apply to volunteer.
School Board Chair Heather Whitney asked Lavalette to contact her directly, and said she would take steps to put the item on a future agenda and potentially organize a citizens advisory committee.
Regarding the tax rate set for the City of Claremont, Senior Comptroller Matt Angell reported that the schools’ combined portion of the tax rate would total $17.45 per $1,000 of assessed value between the local and state share, an increase of 8.25%.
Angell told the board that, after speaking with the State of New Hampshire’s Department of Education, he made the decision to increase the estimate for special education aid to $700,000.
Angell shared some good news regarding the anticipated cost to prepare an estimated enrollment report, which he had previously expected would likely be as much as $20,000.
“However,” Angell announced, “it was free when we paid our dues to NESDEC, which is [the] New England School Development Council. The membership fee to NESDEC was $2,585.”
The school district had posted several vacant positions within the administration, and the meeting offered updates on the current status of those positions. Jason Bonneville, former system administrator for the district, accepted the position of technology director. The searches for student services director and attendance officer continue.
Compensation packages, which are public information, are to be released any day, and include salary, as well as the district’s contributions to health insurance premiums, retirement funds, FICA, and workers’ compensation.
Looking ahead, the school board’s next meeting will be held on Dec. 17, with the first meeting of the new year scheduled for Jan. 7, 2026.