Stratham board approves 20-year bond for school project; roofing work slated for summer

The Stratham School District school board voted 3-0 to accept a 20‑year bond term for the district’s recently approved building project and began signing loan documents at the meeting.

Administrators presented three loan-duration options (20, 25 and 29 years) and distributed the matching loan agreements and certificates of vote. The board voted to adopt the 20‑year option after staff presented estimated tax impacts and schedules. District staff and a local tax calculator user estimated the difference between a 20‑ and 25‑year schedule at roughly $80 per household per year (about $40 per half year); district presenters also cited roughly $2 million in additional interest associated with a longer term. The figures were described in the meeting as preliminary estimates and subject to final sale rates and bond-market pricing.

The board also appointed Erin Garcia de Paredes as school district clerk for the remainder of the year so she could sign closing documents, and staff said the new treasurer, Sarah Jewell, will sign treasury documents effective July 1. The district clerk and treasurer signatures were required on the loan documents as part of the closing process.

Superintendent and building team updates described near-term construction activity: roofing and exploratory internal work were scheduled for the summer, while engineering and replacement for the boiler system will proceed with a longer lead time and is now targeted for next summer. Members of the design-build team and the owner’s representative told the board that material lead times could affect the schedule and that foundation and site work for planned additions would follow permitting.

Board members instructed staff to complete the loan paperwork and to circulate signed copies to the district clerk and treasurer. Administrators said they would provide final tax-impact calculations once the bond sale pricing is known.