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School board proposal for an assistant director to cut out-of-district tuition draws sharp questions from councilors
Summary
The school board proposes an assistant director position to coordinate special education, ELL, nursing and counseling with the aim of returning students from costly out-of-district placements; councilors and members of the public pushed back, asking for data and arguing funds might be better spent on case managers and direct services.
The Portsmouth School Board's budget plan includes a new assistant director of student services position intended to reduce out-of-district placements and associated tuition costs, but councilors and public commenters at the April 13 joint work session questioned whether an additional administrator is the right investment during a period of tight budgets.
The superintendent described the proposed role as an in-house coordinator who would oversee counseling, English-language learning, nursing and out-of-district placements, with the goal of building programs that could bring students back into district schools and reduce high per-student tuition costs paid to external placements.
The chair of the school board and school leaders emphasized program development and relationship-building with families as essential to reducing placements. "If we use $80,000 to do that because the student needs something more and that something we have to bring into the district, that's much more cost-effective than $170,000," one school official said when discussing per-student out-of-district tuition and in-district alternatives.
Councilors pushed for outcome measures and data. Multiple council members said they would prefer either more data demonstrating likely returns or pilot metrics tied to the position before approving new, recurring administrative spending. Several councilors argued the district should consider bolstering stipends or time for existing case managers—classroom teachers who take on administrative caseloads—rather than adding another layer of administration.
Public commenters who work in or with special-education services also urged caution. Esther Kennedy, who identified herself in public comment as experienced in student services, said program development is required to retain students and cautioned that legal IEP (individualized education program) processes constrain unilateral administrative decisions to force in-district placements.
Board members countered that current capacity and program offerings in Portsmouth are insufficient to serve some students and that a leadership position could centralize planning and help secure grants and state approvals needed to create in-district options.
The proposal was presented as part of the school board's FY27 planning and was described by the superintendent and school board members as a strategic, multi-year investment rather than an instant fix. No formal action was taken at the joint session; the school board was scheduled to consider its updated recommendation the next night.
What to watch: whether the school board provides specific outcome metrics tied to the assistant-director position (for example, measurable reductions in out-of-district tuition within a defined timeframe) and how the city budget process treats recurring administrative costs amid other proposed reductions.
