Residents urge the Merrimack budget committee to protect special education and limit tax growth

Dozens of residents packed the Merrimack School District Budget Committee meeting to press two recurring themes: preserve special-education services and rein in the tax impact of a near-$100 million operating request.

Barbara McCormick, who identified herself as living at 43 Island Drive, questioned the size of the districtrequest and the per-pupil cost, saying the "school budget reaching close to a $100,000,000 does not seem realistic to me." McCormick expressed concern that fixed-income seniors would be taxed out of town.

Several speakers told personal stories about special education. Molly Muir, who said she had an IEP through grades 1 through 12 and graduated from Merrimack High School in 2018, said losing supports had harmed her education: "I had my IEP taken away due to similar budget cuts. Those were years of my education that I did not do very well and those are years that I'll never be able to get back." She urged the committee to keep special-education funding steady.

Joanne Grobecker directly challenged a suggestion made at a previous meeting about limiting enrollment of students with disabilities, calling it "illegal and immoral" and urging the district not to "put out a no vacancy sign for special education." Karen Mortimer, whose son is a freshman in the district, said parents view such remarks as discriminatory and warned of real consequences for individual students who rely on transportation and related services.

Other speakers defended curriculum changes and tied investments to measurable gains. Jenna Hardy, vice chair of the school board, told the meeting that the districthas seen reading and science scores rise and said, "Nobody in the Merrimack School District makes over $200,000," rejecting claims that administrative pay is excessive. Naomi (a budget committee member) told the public that Merrimack's cost per pupil is "right on line with the average cost per pupil in New Hampshire," and described investments in teacher training tied to rising test results.

Speakers also pressed the committee about transparency and data: why certain one-time warrant-article expenses appear in department totals, how surplus funds are handled, and whether line items (for example, a $1.5 million federal grant shown as both revenue and expense) were explained. One resident asked whether House Bill 1813 requires special-education services until a student's 20th birthday; attendees asked staff to verify statutory details.

The meeting underscored deep community division: speakers repeatedly framed the decision as a tension between taxpayers on fixed incomes and parents or educators arguing that cuts would harm students. Several people urged residents to contact state lawmakers about education funding, noting that the New Hampshire legislature is considering bills that would affect state aid to districts.

The committee chair closed public comment and said the panel would move into detailed budget work for each department, noting that the committeewill present a recommended bottom-line number to voters and that final appropriation decisions rest with voters at deliberative session and on the ballot.