Your school district has shaky oversight

Gavel hitting a mute button

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The main event

Two articles caught my attention this past week, related to school district budgeting and transparency. I summarize one of them, and I wrote an op-ed about the other. The conclusion explains how these stories relate to families and school choice.

I hope you find them useful.

-Jody

1. Why Are So Many NH School Districts in Trouble?

Recent reporting about turmoil in the Newfound School District (SAU 4) is raising broader questions about how school districts across New Hampshire, including yours, are being managed. The original article appeared on Facebook.

Trouble in Newfound

The Newfound district is currently dealing with several serious issues. Public audit reports appear to be posted only through 2022, leaving more recent financial transparency unclear. At the same time, Danbury Elementary is closing after voters rejected the district budget, and Bristol Elementary has faced building problems serious enough to interrupt classes so they can make required repairs.

There have been claims that multiple district officials may have resigned.

A Pattern Across the State

Newfound is not an isolated case. Other districts are facing significant financial or operational stress. Yours may be one of them. Here are three examples:

  • Claremont discovered a roughly $5 million gap between expected and available funds. They cut over 20 teaching positions and all extra curricular activities.
  • Concord has been discussing a $17 million budget deficit and potential staffing cuts. This is way more than was originally reported.
  • Manchester has warned of nearly $16 million in cuts, potentially affecting dozens of teachers and staff.

There are more. Meanwhile, state lawmakers have begun debating whether structural changes—such as consolidating administrative units—might help address governance concerns.

2. Don’t Silence School Board Members

In this op-ed, Jody Underwood, founding board member of the School District Governance Association, argues that recent guidance from Rochester School Board Chair Matt Pappas threatens the fundamental role and rights of elected school board members. Pappas advised board members not to post about school district matters on social media, discouraged them from responding to public comments during meetings, and instructed them not to ask the superintendent questions during meetings unless those questions were cleared in advance.

Underwood contends that such directives chills the free speech of elected officials and undermines their duty to represent their constituents. School board members, she argues, do not surrender their First Amendment rights when they take office. On the contrary, they are elected specifically to ask questions, communicate with the public, and participate openly in governing their school districts.

The op-ed also challenges the idea that individual board members must remain silent because their comments might be perceived as representing the entire board. Of course, elected officials at all levels routinely express their own views. Underwood emphasizes that transparency and open debate are essential to public trust, especially at a time when many residents already feel they lack information about school operations.

She concludes by stressing that school boards must protect open discussion and ensure their leadership supports transparency, accountability, and the public’s right to hear from the officials they elected.

In conclusion

Taken together, these two issues point to a deeper concern about school district governance in New Hampshire. When elected school board members are discouraged from speaking publicly, asking unscripted questions, or communicating openly with constituents, transparency inevitably suffers. And when transparency suffers, problems — whether financial, operational, or administrative — are more likely to go unnoticed until they become serious crises.

The turmoil in the Newfound School District, along with large budget gaps appearing in districts like Claremont, Concord, and Manchester, shows why open oversight matters. School boards exist to ask hard questions, demand clear financial reporting, and ensure that the public understands what is happening in their schools.

For families making decisions about their children’s education, governance matters. When school systems operate transparently and responsibly, trust grows. When communication is restricted or information is unclear, that trust erodes. Ensuring that school board members can speak freely and represent their communities is one important step toward restoring that trust.

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EdOpt is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose aim is to help families understand all their education options, from non-traditional (homeschooling, homeschool co-ops, microschools) to traditional (charter schools, private schools, tech centers, dual enrollment, learn everywhere).

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