The ConVal School Board would like to share the following information regarding the warrant articles approved and filed by two member communities, Dublin and Francestown, to study withdrawal from the school district.

As part of this process, a committee was formed to study the feasibility and suitability of withdrawal. The committee consists of one school board member from each of the nine ConVal towns and one Select Board member from each of the nine ConVal towns. The makeup of the committee is dictated by state statute.

In the coming weeks, the feasibility and suitability of Dublin and Francestown withdrawing from the ConVal School District and forming their own school district will be evaluated separately and reported on separately. The committee must report its findings for each town to the State Board of Education by October 22, 2024, indicating whether withdrawal from the school district “is recommended, not recommended, or whether more time and information are needed to make a determination” (RSA 195:25, II).

If the committee recommends withdrawal for both towns, the committee must develop a withdrawal plan for each town and file the plans with the State Board of Education by November 1, 2024. Should the State Board of Education approve the withdrawal plans, residents will vote on the issue on March 11, 2025.

Should the committee recommend withdrawal for one town but not the other, the committee must file a report with the State Board of Education for each town, but it would only develop and submit a plan for the town for which withdrawal was recommended.

Should the committee not recommend withdrawal for either town, it must file reports for each town with the State Board of Education, as well as the ConVal School Board, and the committee is then dissolved (RSA 195:25, IV).

When withdrawal is not recommended by the committee, members of the committee who voted to recommend withdrawal may file a minority report with the ConVal School Board and the State Board of Education recommending withdrawal. This report must be filed by October 22, 2024. They must also develop a withdrawal plan and submit the plan to the State Board of Education by November 1, 2024. If the State Board of Education approves the withdrawal plan, residents will vote on the withdrawal plan on March 11, 2025.

More information will follow after the withdrawal committee makes its findings. The withdrawal committee meets in the SAU Boardroom at 6:00 PM on the second and fourth Thursday of the month. These meetings are open to the public, and minutes from the meeting can be found on the School Board’s website here.

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offers suicide prevention training as part of its broader mission to support mental health and improve the quality of life for those affected by mental illness. NAMI's training aims to reduce stigma, increase awareness, and enhance the ability of individuals to respond effectively to those in need, ultimately contributing to the prevention of suicide and the promotion of mental wellness. The photo on the left shows the NAMI Suicide Prevention Trainers for the school district. For more on Suicide Prevention Month, please click here.

Originally posted on Aug 23, 2024

If you are looking for bus route information, please click on the black floating menu that can be found on the right side of each school website page and click on the bus icon. This will take you directly to the website maintained by Student Transportation of America and contains the most current route information.

In her first speech to a district-wide audience as the interim Superintendent of the ConVal School District, Dr. Ann Forrest emphasized the personal connections that she has enjoyed while attending ConVal as a student and over the 17 years of her career as an educator here. "Within the last week, I have run into three current high schoolers who were in elementary school when I was a principal at Antrim Elementary School and Pierce School in Bennington. I was so moved by, and excited for, the young adults they have become," Forrest noted. "Many of you have played an integral role in their development, and all of you here will play an integral role in the development of the students with whom you will work this year." It is these personal connections between teachers, staff members, and administrators who live in the ConVal towns and interact with the families on a frequent basis that make the ConVal School District such a special community.

In his address to the district-wide assembly in the ConVal High School Gymnasium on Monday, August 26, School Board Chairman Dick Dunning emphasized the critical role that all employees — teachers, paraeducators, staff members, and administrators — play in the education of the children in the District. "ConVal is not only #1 in the school administrative unit numbering system," Dunning noted. "It is #1 because of all of you and the difference that you make in the lives of students every day."

If you are looking for bus route information, please click on the black floating menu that can be found on the right side of each school website page and click on the bus icon. This will take you directly to the website maintained by Student Transportation of America and contains the most current route information.

The Administrative Council Leadership Team (ACLT) met in the ConVal library on August 22 for their first district-wide meeting of the 2024-2025 school year. The leadership team is comprised of the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent, all the principals and assistant principals of the 11 ConVal schools, the district Business Administrator, the Human Resources Director, the Director of Special Education, the Director of Student Services, the Director of the Region 14 Applied Technology Center, the district-wide Director of School Counseling, the Director of Athletics and Co-Curriculars, the District Systems Administrator, and the District Facilities Director. The group met to finalize the planned schedule at various locations across the district on Monday and Tuesday of next week as well as the official first day of school on Wednesday, August 28.

In her celebratory retirement speech, Dr. Ann Forrest recounted the many accomplishments of the outgoing Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Rizzo Saunders, including her consistent and strong engagement at the school, district, and state levels. "Through it all, Kimberly fought not only for ConVal but for school children everywhere in the state," Forrest concluded her remarks as the audience rose for a standing ovation. Forrest will serve as the interim Superintendent during the 2024-2025 school year.