Accountability posts

At the January 7, 2026 Sunapee School Board meeting, the board took several significant actions as budget season moves forward.

The board unanimously approved the 2026-2027 budget, warrant articles, and default budget after extensive prior review sessions. The ABC committee report was also approved with a 7-0 vote from its seven members (five board members and two community members). Additionally, the board approved first readings of multiple policies covering topics including employee-student relations, school calendars, advanced coursework, bullying, and school assignment procedures.

The Superintendent made a detailed case for the value of tuition students, noting that the district has received $5.9 million in tuition revenue from 2008 to 2025. She raised concerns about open enrollment legislation that could threaten this revenue stream and characterized the broader legislative environment as a nationally driven effort to dismantle public education. A board member echoed support, noting that tuition students help the district offer a wider variety of classes for all students. The board appeared aligned on this concern, with no dissent expressed.

The board's attorney confirmed that IEP (special education) obligations legally override default budget constraints — meaning the district must fund required special education services even under a default budget scenario.

No members of the public spoke at the meeting. With the deliberative session approaching, residents may want to review the approved budget and warrant articles. School reports noted successful holiday concerts, the 52nd annual winter activity program at the elementary school, and upcoming midterms at the middle/high school. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/sunapee/school-board/2026-01-07/ #MeetingWatch #SunapeeNH