Concerns Aired for Souhegan's Future at Deliberative Session

Souhegan Cooperative School District's budget and warrant articles went through deliberative session unscathed, but many took the opportunity to express their concerns about the high school.

The school board has a $17,762,262 proposed budget this year, which is a 3.7 percent reduction to the current budget. It includes a reduction of 10.2 employees, including full-time teachers, administrative assistants, a paraprofessional and a reduction in custodian hours.

School board member Frances Harrow said that a rejection of this budget would mean a lack of funds for equipment to maintain the building and grounds.

The other significant item is a $1.95 million bond to replace the roof and HVAC system in the main building at Souhegan High School. The school’s main roof is well past its 14-year lifecycle and is leaking in many areas.

A new roof is expect to last about 14 years, according to Director of Buildings and Grounds Jim Miner.

The HVAC rooftop units are breaking down and cost up to $40,000 to repair each year. Miner said that new devices would be much more cost and energy efficient than the old units.

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Saturday’s deliberative session at Souhegan turned into a lengthy feedback session where questions focused less on the warrant, and more on broad issues within the school district.

The SHS Advisory Finance Committee supports the proposed budget and warrant articles, but member David Chen told the board they need to look at more cuts down the road. Souhegan’s enrollment has dropped sharply in recent years, and is expected to continue falling.

Mike Akillian of Amherst questioned the higher cost to run Souhegan High School compared to surrounding schools, such as Hollis/Brookline and Bedford. It currently costs $18,000 per student at Souhegan, according to superintendent Peter Warburton, compared to around $11,000 in Bedford.

Janson admitted that Souhegan’s cost is high compared to the current enrollment level, but the board is working to reduce spending in the coming years. She added that Bedford’s school system is much newer and the enrollment numbers and employee wages reflect this.

“We have many staff members who started with us in 1992 and their salaries show that.”

She said that the cuts made this year were as far as they wanted to go and be responsible. Her board wanted to make sure important changes to the math curriculum, program reviews and staff evaluation were not affected.

Janson also pointed out that Bedford’s school district is working with students from K-12, while Souhegan is addressing grades 9-12. Students can flow through two other school districts, Mont Vernon and Amherst, before they arrive at Souhegan.

Warburton said that the school district is focusing on a K-12 curriculum alongside lowering costs in response to the enrollment decline. Combining the three school districts into one is also an option on the table, since collaborating between them all can be difficult

“The three districts that can act like three different countries sometimes,” said Warburton. He stressed that the SAU 39 school district is working on common goals and priorities between the separate boards.

Board member Steve Coughlan agreed that today’s school boards work together much better than in the past, when different teaching philosophies and methods created many problems between them.

Many residents questioned what should be done with the high school building, which will be underutilized with a smaller school population. One suggested leasing out part of the building, which Coughlan said could be considered.

A few were concerned about the school’s security in light of the Sandy Hook tragedy. Principal Jon Ingram assured that the school’s safety with their comprehensive security plan alongside their student resource officer.

Board member Stephen Coughlan also noted that the building’s outside locks have already been upgraded, and the board is focusing on replacing the interior locks to allow them to be locked from the inside.