Rising health care costs, increased fuel costs, and high property tax rates have caused budget problems for school districts across the state.
But in Nashua, the state’s second largest school district, the budget fight has turned particularly nasty.
It’s pit school officials against aldermen, some alderman against the Mayor, and the Mayor against school officials.
New Hampshire Public Radio's Amy Quinton reports.
At a recent public hearing on Nashua's city budget, School Superintendent Julia Earl received a standing ovation.
She had just walked into the packed high school auditorium in tears.
(nat sound, applause, screams)
Earlier that day, school administrators had told 62 teachers, librarians, and guidance counselors they would be losing their jobs because of budget cuts.
But apparently the audience wasn't blaming the School District.
Mark Conrad is the district's business administrator.
Conrad1: "It was a very difficult day for us. I think it was the worst day I've seen in the Nashua district in the ten years I've been here. I think we’re devastated, each school is devastated"
And more layoffs are coming.
By mid-May, an additional 137 positions in the district could be eliminated.
All the layoffs will save the school district about two point four million dollars.
But that's little more than half of what Nashua Mayor Bernie Streeter's requested schools to cut.
He's asked city departments to trim their budgets by 5 percent.
In the schools case, that means a cut of more than four million dollars out of a total 85 million dollar proposed operating budget.
Those who showed up to the public hearing let Streeter know that those kinds of reductions were unacceptable.
New Searles Elementary teacher Brenda Ball says she's on the list to be laid off
27 4:42 Mayor Streeter you note that the cuts to the school department will not effect the children, but those of us who work with the children know otherwise. (applause)
Most parents in the audience were upset with how the layoffs will affect class sizes, especially in the elementary schools.
This year Nashua's average class size is about 19 students in first through fourth grade -on par with the state average.
But under Streeter's budget cuts, Nashua's average class size in those grades would jump to 24.
Several classes in first and second grade would have as many as 28 students per teacher, well above the state's minimum standard of 25.
Parent Alberto De Almeida got into a heated argument about that with the mayor.
1029 1:52 Sir, I can help you save three million dollars, what we do is cram 50 students into each classroom that gives ..mayor: that is a ridiculous statement and you know it.so is what you're proposing..3:30 mayor: there are far less than 20 kids per class.how would you know
Eventually, an alderman attempted to tone down the debate with his gavel -unsuccessfully.
3:30 Let's get back on the ground, I don't want to have an argument..I really don't care what you want I care what the citizens of Nashua want.
Streeter- repeatedly defended his proposal as an attempt to stop double digit property tax increases.
And Streeter's plan has been endorsed by the aldermen's budget committee.
The Mayor places the blame for the layoffs instead on school administrators.
1039 as mayor I don't decide what services should be eliminated, I don't decide what schools should be closed or what programs be eliminated, what people should be pink slipped, that's the responsibility of the board of education and the superintendent of schools
But school administrators say they have no where else to cut.
Over the last few years they've eliminated four administrators, half of their curriculum staff, and several central office secretaries.
Business Administrator Mark Conrad says they've cut school supplies, books, and more.
5:54 For example our account for funding the replacement of computers is funded at a level now where we can only replace a computer once every 60 years, we've cut curriculum allocation by a third, we've cut repair budgets, we've look at non-personnel.
The biggest culprits to their budget woes are similar to other districts across the state -- increased health care and utility costs.
Nashua made national news last year by forcing schools to turn off light bulbs in vending machines.
But Board of education chair Kim Shaw says those measures only go so far when 80 percent of their spending is tied up in personnel costs.
5:40 the costs are going up across the board in areas that we have no control over, in non-discretionary areas, so for the mayor to act as if he's not responsible for any of the cuts made to personnel, I think is very disingenuous of him.
But not everyone believes the mayor deserves the blame for the budget problems.
Republican Alderman At-Large Fred Teeboom says he was shocked.
4:36 It was absolutely terrible, I watched it on TV it was like a public lynching, the meeting got totally out of control.
Teeboom argues the mayor has come up with a budget that's fair and manageable.
And he points out that the school's proposed budget includes one-point-eight million dollars set aside for teacher salary negotiations, while at the same time it lays off teachers.
Teeboom blames the school district administrators for creating havoc.
2:15 they called these teachers in, they called these people in the same day of the budget hearing, they called them in and said your going to be laid off , the whole idea was to create a frenzy, it was all done for effect.
Teeboom believes a majority of Nashua citizens want taxes kept under control.
In fact many of Nashua's new aldermen were elected on the promise to cut taxes after the average property tax bill went up 10-percent last year.
Republican Ward One Alderman Mark Cookson agrees Nashua residents want to keep their taxes low.
But he says the mayor's lack of leadership and month long vacation in Aruba during the budget process has only made matters worse.
12:32 you know, five percent across the board, just cut everything, you know there's going to be people upset about this, you leave, and what do you do, you pass the buck, there's got to be accountability, you have to have a mayor that is responsive to it's citizens, rarely did he make eye contact with anybody in that audience, I found that appalling.
Cookson is hoping for some sort of compromise on the school budget.
He says aldermen can't fix in one year what he says are years of inefficiencies in the school department.
Instead Cookson wants to see long range city planning, with a biennial or triennial budget.
Even Nashua's Board of Education Chair Kim Shaw agrees the community cannot continue these budget fights every year.
By city statute the full Board of Alderman can take until July 31st before they cast a final vote on the city's budget.
But some Aldermen are hoping a decision will be made by the end of May.
For NHPR news, I'm Amy Quinton.
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