The Contoocook Valley School District Board is in receipt of a Petitioned Warrant Article which seeks to adopt a School District Budget Cap. The School Board is required to hold a public hearing on the question in each town embraced by the District.

The text of the Petitioned Warrant Article is as follows:

“Shall we adopt the provisions of RSA 32:5-e, and implement a budget cap whereby the School Board shall not submit a recommended budget that is higher than 29,000 dollars per pupil cost times the average daily membership in residence of the school district as of October 1 of the year immediately preceding the proposed budget year plus an annual increase for inflation using CPI-U, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH area published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.”

(Submitted by petition)

For a complete schedule of meeting locations, dates, and times, please click here.

This is the third in our annual series of articles regarding the financial aspects of running the ConVal School District.

This article covers two related warrant articles that address the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). For the full-length article (4 pages), please click here.

Jim Fredrickson Chairman, Budget & Property Committee ConVal School Board

Superintendent Dr. Ann Forrest visited with the Robotic Pumas at South Meadow School recently.

The students demonstrated their skills with VEX robotics in an enclosed area that mimics competition conditions where they have to pick up objects and place them in a basket.

Individual students explained how they built their VEX robots as part of the Expand Your Horizons Program (EHP) which is taught by Nichole DeDecker at SMS.

Students went into detail about whether they focused on the drive train or the pickup mechanism first, and how they have to pay attention not only to the mechanical side of the robots but also to maintaining the logistics, like battery charging.

VEX Robotics is a platform that is widely used in education, competitions, and for building custom robots. It is popular in middle school, high school, and college-level robotics programs, as well as in the broader maker and engineering communities.

The ConVal School District invites all residents to a Community Forum discussing the budget, collective bargaining agreement, property tax bills, the proposed withdrawal of Dublin and Francestown from the ConVal School District, and a budget cap petition warrant article. 

The event will be held on February 12, 2025, at 7:00 PM in the Lucy Hurlin Theatre at ConVal High School. A snow date has been scheduled for February 19, 2025, at 7:00 PM. 

We encourage all residents to attend, hear from key speakers, and participate in the discussion on these important topics affecting our community. This event will be live-streamed on the ConVal Events YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/@ConValEvents), and it will be available for viewing anytime after the event.

AgendaModerator: Tom Burgess

• Budget / Trust Fund Warrants - Speakers: Ann Forrest & Jim Fredrickson
• Collective Bargaining Agreement - Speaker: Tom Burgess
• Property Tax Bills - Speaker: Jim Fredrickson
• Withdrawal - Speakers: Mike Hoyt & Curtis Hamilton
• Budget Cap Petition Warrant - Speaker: Jim Fredrickson

Q & A - Please keep your questions/comments to two minutes.

If you would like to ask a question in advance, please send it to forum@conval.edu.

We look forward to an engaging and informative evening as we work together to address the priorities and future of our ConVal School District. Your participation is vital!

The ConVal School District is pleased to announce that the ConVal School Board, at its meeting on Tuesday, January 21, voted to confirm Dr. Ann Forrest as the new Superintendent of the ConVal schools. She has served as the District’s interim Superintendent since August 2024.

Dr. Forrest began working in the District in 2008 as a literacy coach. She was named principal of Antrim Elementary School and Pierce School in Bennington in 2013, and later advanced to the position of Assistant Superintendent in 2016. In 2021, she became the recipient of the Outstanding Service Award by the New Hampshire School Administrators Association (NHSAA). The Outstanding Service Award recognizes educational leaders who are not superintendents. Candidates are judged for initiative, growth, service to public education, and contributions to the educational achievements of their District.

After the vote on Tuesday confirming Dr. Forrest in her new position, School Board Chairman Dick Dunning noted: “Ann brings a positive outlook and great leadership skills to the position. The Board has had time to observe these qualities since August of last year. Our unanimous Board vote shows the confidence we have in her leadership."

”I am incredibly grateful and honored to be given the opportunity to serve as Superintendent of the ConVal School District,” Dr. Forrest said. “I care deeply about this district, and I’m committed to investing carefully in its future. We have to remain cost-conscious and fiscally responsible while pursuing a wide range of learning opportunities for our students. The District will continue to be successful and serve the ConVal community best when both of these goals are met.”

Are you passionate about the future of our schools? Do you want to help shape the educational experience for our students? The ConVal School Board is seeking dedicated residents to join and make a difference.

Interested individuals are invited to file their declaration of candidacy with Brenda Marschok in the Office of the Superintendent of Schools not earlier than 8:00 a.m., on Wednesday, January 22, 2025 and no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 31, 2025.

The open School Board positions, by town of residence, are as follows: Antrim (1 position, 3-year term); Dublin (1 position, 3-year term); Greenfield (1 position, 2-year term); Hancock (1 position, 3-year term); and Peterborough (2 positions, 3-year term each).

For further information, please contact Brenda Marschok at (603) 924-3336 or bmarschok@conval.edu.

Kindergarten registration and screening for the northern tier of the ConVal School District will be held on Tuesday, February 18, from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm at Antrim Elementary School, 10 School Street, in Antrim. A snow date is scheduled for Thursday, February 20, at the same time and location.

The child must be accompanied to the registration and screening by a parent or legal guardian and must be five years old by September 30, 2025.

Pre-registration for this event is required. Please call Melissa Gatto at (603) 924-7503 ext. 2032 to schedule an appointment time.

In a public meeting on January 16, Interim Superintendent Dr. Ann Forrest presented the proposed budget to the ConVal School Board and area residents.

The presentation covered information on what guided the budget creation process, such as the District's Strategic Plan priorities and foundational budget assumptions. Detailed information was shared about budget apportionments and increases or decreases in appropriations by budget line. The final portion of the presentation compared the proposed budget with the default budget calculations for 2025-2026.

The presentation can be accessed online by clicking here.