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Conval board outlines steps after Francestown withdrawal vote and flags SAU budget authority concerns
Summary
Board reviewed Francestown's successful withdrawal process — including state certification, a possible July 1, 2027 effective date and the need to form a joint SAU board — and debated whether the SAU budget process gives too much taxing authority to a small board.
The Contoocook Valley School District on Monday detailed the procedural steps after Francestown's successful vote to withdraw and discussed how the change would affect shared SAU governance and budgets.
Superintendent Dr. Forest said the district has notified the state board of education that Francestown's withdrawal vote was successful and that Francestown is "waiting for the state board to issue them a certificate of withdrawal" that the board said would make the withdrawal effective "on July 1st of 2027," consistent with the statute cited in the meeting.
The board spent the bulk of new-business time spelling out the operational steps that would follow a certificate of withdrawal: the state board will call a special meeting of Francestown voters (typically to elect a school board and set an initial budget), Francestown has requested a pro tempore ("prom") board to begin organizing, and Conval and Francestown will need to negotiate terms including transfer of title to the elementary school in Francestown, any payments for that building, and tuition agreements for middle- and high-school students who may continue to attend Conval schools.
Board members described the mechanics of forming the shared SAU (the joint administrative unit) and how the SAU budget would be handled. The SAU board must be established before Jan. 1 in order to prepare an SAU budget; the SAU board sets that budget after a public hearing (staff said a public notice must be published at least seven days before the hearing). Once the SAU board adopts a budget, the portion assigned to each district is apportioned to the districts and then appears in each district's annual budget process for voter approval, the superintendent said.
Several board members expressed concern about the authority that would sit with the SAU board. Jim (board member) said the arrangement was troubling and called it "insane," arguing the SAU structure "places the dollars that are going to be taxed in the hands of six people." Janine (board member) warned that shifting positions or services into the SAU could inflate the SAU budget and make the district's overall budget harder for voters to approve. In response, Curtis (board member) and Dr. Forest said the district had vetted the procedures with its attorney and that the process is governed by state statute and RSAs; Dr. Forest offered to share the specific RSAs that outline SAU budget rules.
The board also discussed logistics: the SAU must include required positions (superintendent and business administrator among them), bookkeeping may remain at the district level if the SAU chooses, and the SAU apportionment will follow a formula similar to the district's current practice. The board agreed the negotiations committee would likely handle formal negotiations with Francestown on title, payments and tuition arrangements.
Next steps the board identified: Francestown waits for the state board's certificate and special meeting date; Conval and Francestown will begin negotiated agreements once a pro tempore board or elected board is in place; and the Conval board will prepare to form a joint SAU board and SAU budget in time for the statutory deadlines.
The board did not take a formal vote on any withdrawal-related motions during the meeting; the discussion focused on process and timing.
