Stratham School Board trims operating budget, shifts $98,500 into building contingency; motion passes 3–2

The Stratham School Board on Wednesday voted 3–2 to reduce the school district’s proposed fiscal year 2027 operating appropriation by $106,000, moving $98,500 into the contingency for the ongoing building renovation and trimming the line for field trips by $7,500.

Board member Sophie moved the change after administrators reported a new projection from the district’s project manager and construction contractor showing roughly $1.6 million in contingency for the renovation. Sophie said the shift would allow the district to use project contingency to furnish renovated spaces and cover certain audio-visual, wiring and safety items while lowering the operating-budget ask presented to voters. The motion was seconded and approved on a roll-call vote, with the board announcing a revised appropriation of $17,498,091.

The vote followed an extended public discussion of the district’s operating budget, a preview video by Scribe Memorial School staff and students, and a presentation of a draft four-year collective bargaining agreement with the Stratham Teachers Association. Administrators said the CBA — which includes step increases and a cost-of-living pattern that begins at 3.5% in year one, then 3.0% and 3.0% in years two and three and 3.5% in year four — will appear as a separate warrant article (Article 2) on the annual meeting ballot. Finance staff told the board Article 2 carries an estimated FY27 cost of $380,683 and noted that the bond principal-and-interest payment for the building renovation will be reflected in the tax-rate calculation as residents vote on the overall package.

Residents urged the board to be transparent about how the district calculated projected tax impacts. One audience member, Shane O’Brien, ran numbers showing that removing the bond payment from the calculation materially lowers the apparent tax impact; administrators agreed and explained that the headline 13% figure previously discussed combined the operating ask, the CBA appropriation and the first-year bond payment. Finance staff provided a separate estimate that the operating increase including the CBA but excluding the bond is roughly 6.4%.

Several residents also asked for additional public details. Bob Monaco asked whether the Special Education Trust Fund had a cap; board members said a $500,000 goal had been established last year and agreed to discuss a formal cap during the annual meeting. Others urged the board not to transfer all field-trip funding to PTO fundraising, noting equity concerns for families with limited means.

Board members and administrators discussed line-by-line options to reduce the operating budget further — examples included delaying replacement furniture, painting or carpet projects that could be funded from project contingency tied to the renovation. Administrators cautioned that items funded from trust or contingency must be eligible under the renovation warrant language and that any money placed into a trust is not easily returned to the general fund.

The board will present the revised appropriation and the warrant articles, including the teacher CBA and the trust-fund requests, for voters at the annual meeting and on the ballot. A “fireside chat” scheduled for Feb. 10 was announced as a follow-up forum to explain tax impacts and answer questions from residents.

What’s next: The revised budget and warrant articles will be posted and finalized for the district’s annual meeting; administrators said the finalized CBA draft and a more detailed cost analysis will be uploaded for public review.