MANCHESTER – The Board of School Committee has rejected the superintendent’s proposal to eliminate some sports programs, while voting to reallocate other funds to hire more teachers.

The committee voted at its meeting Monday, Sept. 10, to provide the district with up to $650,000 to hire at least 12 fulltime teachers to ease classroom crowding. Superintendent Thomas Brennan had proposed eliminating five of eight middle school sports and some high school junior varsity and freshman programs, which would have freed up nearly $232,000 for teachers. He also proposed reallocating $300,000 in unspent IDEA funds, federal money designated for special education programs.

The committee approved shifting the IDEA funding, but it rejected the athletics proposal, by a vote of 9-4.

Instead, the committee voted to have the city’s bond counsel determine whether $350,000 in bonding for a new parking lot at the district headquarters could be shifted to the staffing budget. If the move is approved, the motion authorizes the superintendent to use the money to hire additional teachers.

Committee member Sarah Ambrogi backed the proposed athletics cut, with the suggestion that a pay-to-play program be instituted for all sports and extracurricular activities.

“There would have to be an appropriate waiver for students who can show they don’t have the money to pay,” Ambrogi said. “These are the programs that make Manchester unique and great. But ultimately where we need money to go is the classroom.”

Several committee members, however, noted that there was a public outcry the last time pay-to-play was proposed.

Member Art Beaudry said he wanted the administration to look elsewhere for savings before going after sports.

“There’s the possibility of getting sponsors and advertising. We have not looked at administration yet. I’ve brought forward a $300,000 cut in administration. No one even looks at that,” he said.

Member Donna Soucy said the cuts proposed by Brennan were too broad, a concern expressed by others on the board.

“Some of our lowest-cost sports affect the most students,” she said. “There are 315 students in spring track, and the program costs $18,000 ... I wonder if that’s not being penny wise and pound foolish.”

The proposals came after Brennan presented a new tally of elementary school classes with sizes that exceed the state standards. The district has already acknowledged that there are dozens of middle and high school classes with more than 30 students, the state standard.

Hooksett, Candia and Auburn are reconsidering their contracts with the school district because of overcrowding.

There are 30 classes in the elementary schools with 30 or more students. This includes multiple kindergarten through second-grade classes, for which the state limit is 25.

At Wilson Elementary, there are five kindergarten and firstgrade classes with more than 31 students and one with 29.

Brennan said the district needs 54.5 teachers to bring class sizes in line with state standards, which would cost more than $2.7 million.

He made the more modest request of hiring 12 teachers with $531,000 in reallocated funds.
The committee voted to authorize allocating the special education and parking lot funds for staffing by margins of 9-4 and 11-2, respectively.

Mayor Ted Gatsas, chairman of the school board, voted against all of the funding proposals.
“We’re talking about one-time funding, while we haven’t said anything about the concessions (from teachers),” he said.

Both Gatsas and Ben Dick, president of the Manchester Education Association, said they are willing to talk again about changes to the teachers union contract, but no talks were scheduled as of press time. Teachers and principals rejected making concessions in health insurance coverage, though most other city unions did so.

Manchester aldermen had voted 10-4, overriding Mayor Ted Gatsas’ veto, to give the schools $152 million, which was close to the school board’s request. It is $2 million more than what Gatsas wanted — and $2 million more than this year’s school budget. Gatsas had proposed not cutting the school budget, but simply level-funding it.

The others who voted against the elimination of athletics were committee members Dave Wihby, Roger Beauchamp, John Avard, Art Beaudry, Ted Rokas, Christopher Stewart, Donna Soucy, and Debra Gagnon Langton. Those voting in favor were committee members Dave Gelinas, Sarah Ambrogi, Erika Connors and Kathy Staub.