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Stratham staff report $97,003 projected fund balance and steep drop in bus discipline after challenge
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Summary
Administration reported reclassifying a special‑education purchase order that freed roughly $71,000 and raised the projected unassigned fund balance to $97,002.69; staff also described a bus‑behavior ‘Best Bus Challenge’ that reduced daily discipline referrals substantially.
District staff reported a positive financial update and described operational improvements at SMS during the meeting.
Financials: A staff member (speaker 3) said the district reclassified a purchase order tied to special education so it could be paid from grant funds rather than the operating budget. That change freed approximately $71,000 in encumbered purchases and increased the projected unassigned fund balance to $97,002.69, which the district can use to offset next year’s tax‑raising requirement. The staff member explained that some purchase orders had to be fully documented before the grant could be applied and the reclassification corrected an earlier encumbrance.
Bus behavior and student projects: SMS staff (speaker 4) described the "Best Bus Challenge," an April initiative to reduce bus discipline incidents. She said referral slips dropped from an average of 12–17 per day before the program to 7 total incidents the first week of the challenge, then to 3 total the following week and 2 so far this week. "The kids have been, like, so responsive," she said, noting seating changes and weekly prizes for teams and an end‑of‑month 'Grand Prix' reward.
Other operational notes: staff highlighted a fourth‑grade boat project that will be launched and tracked during break and mentioned continued work on emergency plans and safety procedures with the new director of safety and security. Purchasing deadlines were reiterated: routine purchasing is scheduled to be shut off the Friday before April break, except for emergencies, to avoid year‑end buys.
What this means: The financial correction gives the district more flexibility heading into the budget season, and the bus initiative offers an example of a low‑cost behavioral intervention with measurable early results. The board asked staff to continue monitoring both the financial projection and the efficacy of operational changes.
