School Board gives Claremont principals time to finalize elementary consolidation plan

CLAREMONT — The School Board on Wednesday voted to give further consideration to a proposal proposed by the city’s elementary school principals that would close Bluff Elementary School, but keep its students and teachers together to the greatest extent possible.

The principals said this plan would create less disruption than a consolidation plan proposed by SAU 6 administrators that would reconfigure the entire K-5 system. That plan called for closing Bluff and consolidating all K-2 grades at Disnard Elementary School and grades 3-5 at Maple Avenue Elementary School.

Regardless of what form it takes, all the school officials agreed a consolidation is needed so that the district can meet its legal obligations to provide services to all special education students.

On Wednesday, the board voted 5-0 to table the administration’s proposal to reconfigure all K-5 grades. Then the board voted 4-1 to schedule a presentation on the principals’ plan for Sept. 17.

Called a “softer approach” by Maple Avenue Principal Mark Blount, the proposal would try to keep Bluff classes intact with their respective teachers when moving to either Maple Avenue or Disnard Elementary.

The principals’ approach would take the Bluff community and “plop them down” in space available at Maple and Disnard, he said. In this way, Blount said, the Bluff family would stay together and it would mitigate the disruption for students and teachers while having additional resources to meet special education needs.

“We are trying to address the needs at Bluff and not disrupt the whole system,” he said at Wednesday’s board meeting at Stevens High School.

‘Not able to meet the needs’

The situation at Bluff is an indirect consequence of the fiscal crisis the school district is facing. The recommendation to close Bluff is expect to save only about $65,000 in the first year. The real driving force are concerns related to special education, in particular individual education plans, or IEPs.

Principal Dale Chenette said a Bluff special education teacher resigned at the beginning of the year after the school already had advertised for a special education position over the summer and failed to attract a single application.

“We are not able to meet the needs in the current configuration,” Assistant Superintendent Mike Koski said.

Failure to address the problem could result in lawsuits, Koski said.

Matt Angell, the school district’s acting business administrator, emphasized the urgency of the current circumstances.

“We have to act soon if not now,” Angell said, adding the district’s contractual obligations mean it will need a minimum of 30 days to implement any plan.

In its presentation, the SAU administration said that there have been 12 resignations at the elementary level this year, leaving a severe staffing shortage and forcing the decision to close Bluff and reconfigure grades K-5. 

Acting Superintendent Patrick O’Hearn did not give a specific number when asked by board member Loren Howard how many positions needed to be filled to avoid closing Bluff.

With only two elementary schools, there would be more resources to sustain and strengthen staff support for student intervention, teacher mentoring and professional development, the administration said.

The administration’s timeline for moving all resources from Bluff to the other schools showed the first day of consolidated operations on Oct. 15.

‘Give us one more year’

Residents in attendance spoke out forcefully against the SAU plan to dramatically reconfigure all three elementary schools. They called the timeline unrealistic, accused the board and administration of not being transparent with their plans, disrespecting teachers and causing unnecessary trauma for students.

“We are begging you, pause, pause, pause,” said resident Leslie Peabody.

Alicia Simino, a first grade teacher at Bluff, acknowledged, as did many others, that closing Bluff and consolidating grades K-5 likely needs to happen, just not now.

“You are killing me this year,” Simino said. “Please don’t do it. Please don’t move Bluff school until next year. Give us one more year.”

Resident Ken Lownie was also critical of the administration’s reconfiguration proposal, which is similar to a plan former Superintendent Mike Tempesta tried but failed to implement in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic.

Lownie said the administration needs to come up with a “less invasive, less traumatic” plan. The goal for this year, he said, should be minimum disruption this year.

Principals also supported developing a plan for a broader reconfiguration for 2026-27 school year.

“Spend some time and make the transition next year,” Blount said.

Chenette said even if the so-called softer approach were implemented, a different plan would still need to be developed and implemented next year.

The board voted 4-1 to give the principals a week to flesh out the details of their proposal with the SAU administration. Board Chairwoman Heather Whitney was the lone no votes, but not because she opposed the plan. She didn’t think the board had the luxury of waiting another week to decide.

supported tabling the administration’s plan but opposed waiting another week to hear more about the principals’ proposal. She reminded the board they were in an emergency meeting and stressed the urgency to act.

“Despite how horrible and ugly this situation is, I feel we need to prioritize the students that are in the most need,” she said. “For me it is a student service issue and to be able to provide continuity and services.”