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Somersworth board reviews federal "General Assurances" with new executive order language ahead of June 1 signature deadline
Summary
The Somersworth School Board discussed the Department of Education’s annual "General Assurances" packet on May 13 after the document was revised to reference two presidential executive orders; the board will decide before a June 1 deadline whether to sign, amend or withhold signatures.
The Somersworth School Board discussed a Department of Education–dated "General Assurances" packet on May 13 that the board chair and superintendent typically sign to accept federal education funds. The packet includes newly added language referencing Executive Order 14,151 (ending certain federal DEI preferences) and Executive Order 14,168 (described in the packet as directed at gender-identity practices). The district must decide how to respond before a June 1 deadline.
The superintendent told the board these additions are the two substantive changes in the 16-page assurances document and said the district has joined an ACLU lawsuit challenging related federal guidance. He said his recommendation is to avoid jeopardizing federal funding while standing firm on district values: "We never want to do anything to jeopardize federal funding, but we also want to stand firm where things are being put in front of us that we do not agree with," he said. The superintendent said guidance from the ACLU and the New Hampshire School Boards Association (expected May 19) will inform the board’s next decision.
Board members asked about the financial stakes and legal protection. The superintendent said the funding at risk from titles 1–4 could be in the range of $1 million to $2 million and that the district is awaiting clarification about whether an injunction already granted in federal court would apply to these assurances. No final vote was taken; the item will return at the next board meeting with recommended language or a proposed amendment.
During public comment, a student asked for plain-language guidance about the executive orders. The superintendent described the documents as "ambiguous and vague in terms of the precise nature of what they're looking at" and advised students to read the short executive-order texts and discuss them with teachers. The board said it will include the full packet and executive orders in upcoming materials so the public can review them.
The board did not adopt a final position at the May 13 meeting; members asked staff to obtain legal guidance and bring recommended wording or options back before the June 1 deadline.
