CLAREMONT, N.H. – The last several weeks have been turbulent ones for the struggling Claremont School District, School Administrative Unit 6 (SAU6).
An August announcement that the school board had accepted the resignation of Superintendent Chris Pratt came after the board placed Pratt on paid administrative leave in response to a multimillion-dollar budget deficit, and an uncertain start to the school year.
Former Claremont Middle School Principal Kerry Kennedy stepped in as interim superintendent, and Matthew Angell joined Kennedy as interim SAU6 business administrator and comptroller. After conducting a thorough review of the district’s financial records, Angell and school officials confirmed what had been feared: The district is looking at a shortage of more than $5 million.
At the Sept. 17 school board meeting, the board received a presentation from Disnard Elementary School Principal Melissa Lewis, Bluff Elementary School Principal Dale Chenette, and Maple Avenue Elementary School Principal Mark Blount. Lewis, a 32-year veteran educator in the Claremont school system, told the board they had “multiple plans to present.” The full presentation can be found online at www.sau6.org/claremont within the meeting packet for Sept. 17.
Proposal 1 posited the closure of Bluff Elementary School, and the reconfiguration of Disnard and Maple Avenue schools, but Lewis quickly explained that the proposal was not currently viable due to the resignations of three bus drivers. Lewis moved on to discuss the second proposal.
Proposal 2 suggests relocating Bluff classrooms to open classrooms in Maple Avenue and Disnard elementary schools. Lewis stressed that no positions will be eliminated during this process, and all Bluff classroom teachers would remain with their students. About a dozen staff positions would need to be reassigned, including Bluff Principal Chenette.
A third proposal would redistribute special education case management services.
“We are committed to making this the smoothest…transition possible for children and families,” Lewis pledged.
During the meeting, citizens expressed frustration and demanded answers. It was clear that the public’s trust has been seriously damaged by the previous administration’s miscalculations, gross mismanagement of school funds, and, as some accused, possible corruption. One resident commented that it would take 10 years to regain that trust.
Residents were angry at the lack of communication and transparency surrounding the district’s budget freefall, and some had harsh words for the board. Specifically, many felt that educators were left in the dark, unsupported, and dealing with a situation where they were getting information from public message boards, and not in a timely or appropriate manner from school board officials.
Others remarked that, considering how poorly things had been handled thus far, they appreciated the three principals working together to produce a precise, comprehensive, and forward-thinking representation of their proposals. Still, many expected an improved system with greater oversight and “checks and balances.”
The school board had scheduled another meeting for Sept. 24, which was canceled due to the city council meeting on the same evening. At that time, Kennedy put out a statement sharing that the postponement would allow for time to gather accurate financial information based on new details that have been “unearthed,” and to “ensure that everyone on the board is able to participate in full. Waiting a week will also give more community members an opportunity to attend and have their voices heard,” Kennedy communicated.
Kennedy further stated, “Matt Angell, the business office, and the HR department have been working very closely together to fully understand what happened in this instance and its overall impact. I am confident that we need to have all of our ducks in a row before we present the latest update.”
That update will be presented at the Wednesday, Oct. 1 regular school board meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m., at the Sugar River Valley Technical Center.