CLAREMONT — Claremont School Board Chairwoman Heather Whitney told a packed Stevens High School auditorium on Wednesday evening that as for now city schools will open on schedule on Aug. 28. But the opening still could end up being delayed if more information about the district’s dire financial condition warrants it.
And once schools do open, Whitney said there is no guarantee how long they will stay open.
“If we have information that drives a decision to change that opening, that will be communicated,” Whitney told anxious parents and students. An “emergency meeting” of the School Board would be called to hold a vote delaying the opening if it comes to that.
It has been one week since Whitney announced the district was facing a deficit between $1 million and $5 million for the 2024-25 school year, and its ability to pay its bills and keep schools operational was in jeopardy.
That deficit is on top of an existing $2 million combined shortfall from fiscal years 2020 and 2021 that was discovered in audits earlier this year.
The 2022 audit, expected to be completed shortly, could further worsen the district’s financial outlook.
In a public comment period toward the end of the roughly two and a half hour meeting, multiple parents repeated concerns expressed throughout the evening about the uncertainty surrounding the school year and how they should plan for their child’s education.
Whitney said there is still much uncertainty regarding the district’s short-term financial status to offer definitive guidance.
“All of these questions, concerns and worries are reasonable and the only answer we have is we don’t know because we don’t have the data,” Whitney said.
Earlier in the evening, the district’s attorney, James O’Shaughnessy, also told the audience that can open is on schedule.
“Right now, all systems are a go unless the board votes to delay,” O’Shaughnessy said.
Also Wednesday, the state Department of Education issued a letter offering assurances to Claremont schools, which include Bluff, Maple Avenue and Disnard elementary schools, Claremont Middle School and Stevens High School.
“The Department will continue to work closely with your district’s legal counsel, school board and administration as the district develops a path forward to meet its educational obligations,” said the letter, signed by state Education Commissioner Caitlin D. Davis.
Those obligations include, “ensuring students can return to school this fall in a safe, operational learning environment by addressing immediate cashflow concerns,” the letter added.
At Wednesday’s meeting, the School Board also introduced Matt Angell, who was hired this week as the district’s comptroller to handle the duties previously undertaken by SAU 6 Business Administrator Mary Henry.
O’Shaughnessy said Henry, though still employed with the SAU, is no longer involved in the district’s finances. Henry was not in attendance.
Angell said right now the financial records are not reliable and he will be working extra hours to get the books up to speed, move forward with an audit and filing state reports.
“It will be a good solid month before I have something (to report to the community),” said Angell, who is retired but has worked in other New Hampshire school districts as a business administrator. “I’m here to get us out of this hole.”
Determining just how deep that hole is, the cash flow situation and how much money the district will need are the next steps, O’Shaughnessy said.
At the outset of the meeting, where an overflow crowd listened from the gymnasium, O’Shaughnessy said there have been meetings and conversations with state officials, the School Board, attorneys and auditors to develop a plan.
“It is a process. The focus of those conversations has been on the immediate question: Can the school district open and remain open for the foreseeable future without interruption,” O’Shaughnessy said “We are trying to understand the district’s current financial picture and a path forward.
“The financial picture has not been crystal clear,” O’Shaughnessy said. “So trying to move forward and understand where the financial picture is has been very, very challenging.”
The first priority has been determining whether there is sufficient cash flow to pay mandatory expenses to open the schools, he said.
“If it turns out there is not enough cash to make it through the next month or so, the feeling is the board ought to delay school to more fully evaluate its financial situation,” O’Shaughnessy said.
The School Board has the difficult task of weighing whether a delayed start to the year or a potential disruption later this fall would be worse for students and teachers, he added.
“To open schools and keep them open for the school year as well as resolving long-term debt will require the district to get a clear understanding of its budget, its financial (status),” O’Shaughnessy said.
At last week’s meeting, Henry told the board that district officials would present a plan for keeping the schools open through at least September at this week’s meeting.
On Wednesday, Whitney said the School Board learned about an hour before the meeting that no proposal would be presented.
“We’re are no longer relying on that information,” Whitney said. “We will be relying on information from the comptroller.”
Whitney read a prepared statement when the meeting began: “Our priority is that every student has a place to learn and every parent can rest knowing the doors are open,” Whitney said, telling the audience there would be no votes on appropriations or cuts. “We do not have the details to go in that direction. All of our focus now is on opening the schools, stabilizing operations and making sure we maximize every available resource to ensure children receive the education they deserve.”
Some in attendance asked why Superintendent Chris Pratt, who regularly attends Claremont School Board meetings, was not present.
O’Shaughnessy said the board asked him not to attend but there was no reason given.
The SAU 6 board is meeting Thursday in a nonpublic session to discuss personnel, SAU 6 Chairwoman and Claremont School Board member Arlene Hawkins said.
If the employment status of Pratt changes, O’Shaughnessy said the public will be informed.
While Angell prepares his report, Whitney said some board members will be working with the administration to develop a plan for cuts but until they have a “target” number, no decision can be made.
“We are waiting to hear from the comptroller to guide us,” Whitney said.
Public comments not only included fears about the upcoming school year, cuts to sports and the tech center, but also tax increases, the city’s inability to attract new businesses and the effect of the fiscal crisis on the entire city, not just the school district.
“I’m not one to be fear mongering, but when you have families in our community that have to make a decision that they may need to move because our kids won’t have an accredited graduation certificate, you are going to lose your community,” resident Jerry Cross said. “It is not just the school budget that is in peril, it is the town side as well.”