School board advances $9.05 million bond for full‑day kindergarten, district office renovations to deliberative session

The Londonderry School Board voted 5‑0 on Jan. 14 to send a $9,050,000 warrant article on full‑day kindergarten and district office renovations to the March deliberative session.

The article would raise $9,050,000 for “the design, construction, furnishing and equipping of modular classroom additions and renovations at South, North and Matthew Thornton elementary schools to create additional classroom space to accommodate a districtwide full‑day kindergarten program and for improvements and renovations of Moose Hill School to serve as district central administrative office,” and authorize bonds under the Municipal Finance Act, the board’s reading of the warrant said.

Board members and district staff framed the proposal as a compromise designed to reduce costs from last year’s larger proposal while also resolving the district office lease situation. Superintendent Dan (presenter) said the plan would add eight attached modular classrooms — four at Matthew Thornton and four split between North and South schools — and convert part of Moose Hill to district offices once kindergarten seats are relocated. He said the modular classrooms would be attached to existing buildings, include bathrooms where needed and would remain in place for at least 15 years.

Why it matters: proponents said full‑day kindergarten provides more instructional time and helps reduce remediation in early grades. District financial modeling presented to the board showed upfront capital and staffing costs in the first years but projected operating savings and increased state aid later in the bond term, the presenters said.

Details and tradeoffs - Cost and tax impact: the warrant specifies a $9,050,000 authorization. District staff presented projected tax impacts as cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, showing a lower initial cents impact (presenters referenced roughly 4¢ in early years) and higher cents in later years (presenters referenced figures near 12¢ in some years), based on a 15‑year bond at a 3.46% interest rate and 2024 assessments. The board noted those were estimates and depend on bond terms and future assessments. - Classroom siting and capacity: staff described attached 1,200‑square‑foot classrooms with hallways at Matthew Thornton and 900‑square‑foot classrooms at North School (near existing bathrooms). The plan keeps the LEAP preschool program at Moose Hill while repurposing another wing for offices. - Enrollment and staffing: presenters said current enrollment trends are lower than several years ago and that the eight modular classrooms would allow the district to serve roughly 1,720 K–5 students under current scheduling; they projected capacity up to about 1,840–1,900 K–5 if needed. Operating cost projections showed a much smaller staffing increase than last year’s proposal — presenters estimated roughly two additional full‑time certificated staff in later years compared with much larger increments in the previous plan. - Savings claimed: district staff said the plan would eliminate the midday bus run and estimated roughly $283,000 in annual savings from that change; they also cited savings from retiring other bonds and from ending or reducing a district office lease.

Public comment and board reaction Speakers at the public hearing were largely supportive. Christine Perez and Beth Marocco (public commenters) urged the board to adopt full‑day kindergarten; Jonathan Esposito and Oscar Clark asked about socialization, transportation and how many kindergarten‑age children live in town; several speakers urged robust public information ahead of the March vote. Board members acknowledged questions about tax impacts and enrollment trends and said they would continue outreach and provide more detail in the coming weeks.

Board actions - The board opened and closed a public hearing on the warrant article and, during deliberations, moved to place the article on the deliberative session. A motion to move the article to the deliberative session passed 5‑0 (motion by Sarah Laughlin; second by Amanda Butcher). The board then voted 5‑0 to indicate its support for the article at the deliberative session; Sarah Laughlin made the motion and Amanda Butcher seconded.

What’s next The article will appear on the district’s warrant for the March deliberative session. The board and administration said they will publish further cost breakdowns, renderings and enrollment models for voters ahead of March and will present the article at the deliberative session.

(Transcript excerpts show the presentation and public hearing beginning at the board’s announcement of the public hearing and the board’s deliberation and final motions to move Article 2 to the deliberative session.)