School Board — January 20, 2026
Zero public speakers, routine approvals, and one deferred policy item created no visible tension or conflict.
Public impact
FY2027 Operating Budget Warrant
Decisions logged
Topics discussed
▶ 00:00 Opening and Minutes Approval
Pledge of Allegiance led by students; approval of January 6 meeting minutes and public hearing minutes.
▶ 01:17 Student Representatives Reports
Reports on successful sports seasons (basketball, hockey, skiing), musical production, middle school visits, Granite State Challenge loss, and upcoming midterms.
▶ 06:45 Midterms Discussion
Board and students debate value of midterms, with mixed views on stress, preparation, and grade impacts.
▶ 09:29 PFAS Presentation by Student Reps
Finn Murphy and Tad Stokes present on PFAS chemicals: definition, history, health risks, NH-specific issues, regulations comparison, avoidance methods, and advocacy.
▶ 34:14 Barry J. Grudemeyer Memorial Scholarship
Kat Grudemeyer proposes scholarship honoring her late husband for team spirit and leadership; board discusses and accepts it.
▶ 42:27 Open Enrollment Policy Discussion
Board reviews warrant article options for open enrollment, debating entry points (e.g., AP courses, engineering, NH Scholars STEM), limits (0/0 vs 1/1 or small percentages), legal risks, equity concerns, special education liability, funding responsibility, and legislative loophole closure.
▶ 97:33 Warrant Articles Review and Vote
Board reviewed standard warrant articles (reports, operating budget ~$29.3M, trust fund appropriations) and voted to approve all except Article 2 on open enrollment; discussed formatting, tax impact language, and public hearing requirements.
▶ 115:27 Budget unfilled positions and IEPs
Discussion on whether unfilled instructional assistant positions tied to IEPs should be removed from the budget, emphasizing legal risks and that positions remain needed.
▶ 116:49 Budget presentation and public information sessions
Review of budget materials, info sessions with groups like GOP, Dems, Rotary, PTA; plans for "Answers with Amy" and similar events; emphasis on presenting strengths.
▶ 120:12 Budget FAQ and supporting documents
Updates to FAQ, glossary placement, open enrollment info, one-pagers, and snapshot documents; need to post on website.
▶ 125:30 School board goals review
Progress on curriculum/assessment (CIA committee, Tier 1-3 supports, assessment tools), finance (budget tracking via DOE 25, zero-based budgeting), safety/security (HMHS redesign, culture initiatives), communication, and sustainability policy.
▶ 151:30 Reorganization meeting scheduling
Planning quick reorg meeting on Jan 19 at 5pm before town meeting to elect officers and welcome new member; March 31 meeting for contract nominations.
▶ 157:43 Policy updates
First reads: BEDG, DAFB, EBCH, EEAB, HP, HPA, IKB, LDA. Second reads: IHCA, IHCD/LEB, JH, JLCC. Document tracking statutory update dates.
▶ 162:09 Personnel and donations
Nominations: Mike Zahlin (special ed teacher), Natalie Patterson (IA). Donations: $1,000 to Osram robotics; Shelley Lockhead Trust to library.
▶ 164:31 Financial reports and fund balance
Draft financials showing ~$355k unassigned fund balance; food service projection improved to $95k loss; new open enrollment code; fund balance presentation for website.
▶ 166:44 Committee updates
Finance (hiring savings), CIA (curriculum demos), safety (cybersecurity), wellness/PD (none).
Controversy & dissent
Potentially controversial issues
Open Enrollment Warrant Article
Action items
Notable statements
Students do you want to lead us? — Unidentified speaker · Opening pledge ▶ 00:00
Do we like midterms, think midterms should stay, or do we think that midterms are a dinosaur of the past and should go away? — Unidentified speaker · Midterms discussion ▶ 06:45
I have a lot of Gore Tex stuff from like the 90s and 2000s... what should I do with that? — Unidentified speaker · PFAS Q&A ▶ 24:32
You've certainly shifted me. I'm going to go home and order some green pans and throw out those two Teflon pans — Unidentified speaker · After PFAS presentation ▶ 28:15
Opposed to 'big sucking sound' of students from less-funded districts; prefers 0/0 or minimal to avoid mercenary perception — Unidentified speaker · Revenue and equity concerns ▶ 63:04
This is opening us up to potentially a lawsuit if we're saying like we only want AP student. It feels yucky. — Unidentified speaker · Open enrollment debate ▶ 51:56
Priority is a 'prevent defense' (0/0 or minimal) to avoid becoming open enrollment; willing to defer on program specifics — Unidentified speaker · Open enrollment limits discussion ▶ 80:02
Favors 0/0 or 1/1 as cautious 'wait and see' approach due to unknown special ed and budget impacts — Unidentified speaker · Risk assessment for warrant article ▶ 82:23
Present strength and avoid appearing defensive or showing weakness unnecessarily. — Unidentified speaker · Budget communications approach ▶ 116:04
Reinforce at public hearing that budget does not require further cuts because prior reductions were made; track DOE 25 lagging indicators showing consistent 4.42% average increases over 12 years. — Unidentified speaker · Budget strategy and historical data ▶ 116:49
Budget presentation is concise, strategic, and represents priorities after line-by-line review; we're in the second period of the hockey game. — Unidentified speaker · Praise for budget team ▶ 118:12
Public comment
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grok-4.3, claude-opus-4-7 · analyzed 2026-05-27.