Dean Eggert of Wadleigh, Starr & Peters, P.L.L.C., gave an hour-long presentation on Open Enrollment to the Administrative Council Leadership team (ACLT) on Thursday. Open Enrollment refers to policies, currently evolving through legislation and statutes such as RSA 193:3 and 194-B, that allow K-12 students to attend public schools outside their assigned resident district.

Eggert explained the October 2025 NH Supreme Court decision in the Pittsfield case, which ruled that a student's home school district must pay tuition for a student who seeks to attend an "open enrollment" public school in another district, even if the home district never voted to adopt an open enrollment program.

Eggert also outlined the work the district needs to complete over the next few months in response to that decision.

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The ConVal School District has been fully reimbursed $666,227.90 in legal fees by the state of New Hampshire after a lawsuit over state education funding.

In Contoocook Valley School District v. State of New Hampshire, known as the “ConVal” case, the district sued the state to hold it accountable for its constitutional obligation to adequately fund public education under the NH Constitution. Several other school districts later joined ConVal in the lawsuit.

In a landmark decision in July, the NH Supreme Court court upheld an earlier trial court ruling which determined that current base adequacy funding is constitutionally insufficient and must exceed $7,356.01 per pupil.

Separately, a recent court decision awarded attorney's fees to the district, recognizing that ConVal vindicated important constitutional rights and provided a significant public benefit. ConVal's partner districts will also be fully reimbursed for their legal costs.

The district considers this a victory for constitutional rights and public education funding. ConVal Superintendent Dr. Ann Forrest said the reimbursement “validates the core argument” of the legal challenge the district had brought in 2019. “The fact that we got complete reimbursement of legal fees confirms that school districts can successfully challenge systemic constitutional failures and be made whole again,” Forrest stated.

The ConVal School Board will now decide how to use the recovered funds.

The All-Staff Meeting to start the 2025-2026 school year was held in the ConVal High School Gymnasium on August 25.

Superintendent Dr. Ann Forrest (standing, left) welcomed new and returning ConVal employees, then introduced the administrative leadership teams of all eleven ConVal schools. She also introduced the staff members and administrators of SAU #1, including the new Assistant Superintendent Amy Stevenson (seated, right).

After the welcome and introductions, Dr. Forrest read the poem "Advice to Writers" by former US Poet Laureate Billy Collins as an inspiration for the coming school year.

The following bus routes have been established for the 2025-2026 school year:

Bus 1 (Antrim), Bus 2 (Antrim), Bus 3 (Antrim), Bus 5 (Peterborough), Bus 6 (Bennington), Bus 8 (Hancock), Bus 10 (Greenfield), Bus 11 (Hancock), Bus 12 (Peterborough), Bus 13 (Temple), Bus 15 (Temple), Bus 16 (Dublin), Bus 17 (Dublin), Bus 18 (Peterborough), Bus 19 (Sharon-Peterborough), Bus 20 (Bennington), Bus 22 (Francestown), Bus 23 (Francestown), Bus 24 (Greenfield), Bus 25 (Peterborough), Bus 26 (Peterborough).

Questions? Please contact: Student Transportation of America, (603) 924-9211.

The Community Forum on August 13 gave members of the public the opportunity to learn more about the New Hampshire law that requires school districts to institute a bell-to-bell ban on personal communication devices during the entire school day.

According to this new state mandate, students cannot use cell phones, smartwatches, or similar devices from the first bell to the last bell of the day. Devices must be turned off and put away during class and passing times. The policy is designed to help reduce distractions, encourage face-to-face conversations, and keep the focus on learning.

This requirement does not change current practices at the elementary and middle school levels, as Superintendent Dr. Ann Forrest explained. The change will mainly affect students at ConVal High School, where a group of staff members and Principal Heather McKillop had already been studying the problem of cell phone use and had been working on ways to aid in the transition to a phone-free school day.

The forum, including the Q&A session, was recorded and can be watched on the ConVal YouTube channel here.

The ConVal School District invites families, students, staff and community members to a public forum on the upcoming implementation of a bell-to-bell ban on personal communication devices in all ConVal schools. This new policy, mandated by recently passed state legislation, will prohibit the use of cell phones and similar devices during instructional hours. The forum will provide an opportunity to learn more about the rationale behind the policy, how it will be implemented across grade levels, and what supports will be in place to help students adjust to this change.

The forum will be held on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, at 7:00 PM in the Lucy Hurlin Theatre at ConVal High School. For those unable to attend, the event will be live-streamed on the ConVal Events YouTube Channel. Community members are encouraged to submit questions in advance or during the event by emailing forum@conval.edu. We hope you will join us for this important conversation about how we can best support student learning and well-being in a distraction-free environment.

On July 1, the New Hampshire Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in the ConVal school funding lawsuit, upholding most of the 2023 Superior Court's ruling.

On Wednesday, July 16, the NH School Funding Fairness Project (NHSFFP) will host a webinar, starting at 6:00 pm, to explain the decision and its implications for the future of school funding. To register for the "ConVal Ruling Webinar: What it Means for NH Public Schools," please click the button below.

The ConVal School District is pleased to announce that a landmark decision was handed down by the New Hampshire Supreme Court this morning, affirming that the State’s underfunding of base adequacy is facially unconstitutional.

The ruling comes in response to a six-year legal challenge brought forth by ConVal and several school districts across the state, arguing that the current base adequacy funding fails to meet the state’s obligation to provide every student with the opportunity for a constitutionally adequate education.

“We are very grateful for this decision,” said Superintendent Dr. Ann Forrest. “This is a victory not only for our students, but for every community in New Hampshire. The Court has affirmed what educators, families, and taxpayers have long understood: that the state must do more to ensure every child has the resources they need to succeed.”

“We want to thank former Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Rizzo Saunders, former and current members of the ConVal School Board, and our legal team, Dean Eggert, Michael Tierney, and Elizabeth Ewing from Wadleigh, Starr, and Peters, for their leadership in this case. We also want to thank all the school districts that joined and supported the action. We look forward to the State acting expeditiously to provide full funding.”