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Stratham board upholds nonresident-student policy, denies staff request to tuition in child
Summary
The Stratham School District board voted 3-0 to uphold policy JFAB and deny a PE teacher's request to enroll her daughter as a tuition student, citing local tax impact, state law uncertainty about open enrollment and precedent concerns.
At its final meeting of the school year, the Stratham School District school board voted 3-0 to uphold policy JFAB and decline a staff request to enroll a teacher's child as a tuition (nonresident) student.
The teacher, Tiffany Locke, a physical-education instructor at Stratham Memorial School, asked the board to allow her daughter to attend SMS as a tuition student starting in August. "I'm requesting the board's consideration in allowing my daughter to attend SMS as a tuition student," Locke told the board during public comment. The request required the board to consider whether to allow an out-of-district staff-member placement outside the conditions listed in JFAB.
Board members said they weighed resident taxpayer impact, precedent and pending state legislation. Two residents who spoke at public comment urged caution. Paul Perino, identified himself as a Stratham resident, cited the district's per-pupil figures and urged the board not to offer a discount that would shift costs to local taxpayers. A district presenter referenced state law language and recent legislation under consideration in Concord, including references in the meeting to RSA 193:12 and Senate Bill 210, and repeated guidance in the board packet that open‑enrollment and tuition provisions can change with state action.
Administrators told the board that other New Hampshire districts adopt different cost-sharing methods (for example, the packet cited Nottingham at 20% and Kearsarge at 25% as examples), and that the Department of Education's published average-per-pupil figures are commonly used as a baseline. The board also heard that an open-enrollment measure under consideration at the state level would require more review before the district could adopt a new local practice without broader policy changes.
After discussion, a board member moved "to uphold JFAB, in that it limits out of district kids coming to SMS for the stated reasons," and the motion was seconded. The board voted unanimously to uphold JFAB and not to permit the requested tuition enrollment at this time.
Board members said the decision was not a reflection on the staff member personally but a policy choice tied to local fiscal responsibility and a concern about creating a binding precedent. Several board members indicated the policy could be revisited in the fall after the legislature completes action on pending bills. Administrators said they would bring back any recommended policy edits and additional legal or fiscal analysis at a future meeting.
The vote leaves JFAB in effect as written and denies the individual tuition request; board members directed staff to continue monitoring state legislation and to return with any recommended policy revisions once the legislative picture is clear.
