Parents press Nashua School District on retention as board weighs open-enrollment limits

A public hearing before the Nashua School District's budget meeting on Wednesday drew parents who urged the district to explain how it will retain families if open enrollment lets students move to neighboring towns.

Resident Alicia Houston of Westwood Drive told the board she had reviewed an open-enrollment briefing and the Harriman study and asked for the "top three actions" the district would take using existing resources to keep families from leaving. "I think the proficiency ratings are pretty low for reading, math and literacy," Houston said, adding concerns that the district often acts reactively rather than proactively.

District official Edmund responded that the high school offers extensive AP and career-technical (CTE) pathways and pointed to the district strategic plan's emphasis on communication and community trust as retention strategies. "We have a number of our AP courses . . . our CTE pathways . . . the high schools are very much a draw and a flagship across the state," Edmund said. He said program development and community input are part of a multi-year effort and that immediate, large-scale program changes were not guaranteed for the coming September.

On policy specifics, Edmund described the draft open-enrollment policy the board was set to vote on that evening, saying it would "allow 25 students to exit the district" and that the district estimates a roughly $18,000 loss in per-pupil revenue if students leave. "So our policy . . . 25 students. We're only allowing 25 students to exit the district," he said.

Several residents framed the question of retention in financial terms. Houston referenced figures she had seen about major facility investments tied to a Harriman study (speakers variously cited figures near $475 million and $300 million) and warned that large capital spending without clear retention plans could strain taxpayers.

Megan O'Keefe, a parent who said she had applied for an intra-district variance to keep her kindergartner at a preferred school, asked staff to clarify the difference between the inter-district open-enrollment rule under discussion and intra-district transfer (variance) processes. A staff member explained the two are separate: open enrollment governs students moving between districts, while intra-district transfers follow the existing variance process. Staff said the intra-district transfer timeline had been posted on the district website and that current variances would follow a first-come, first-served model when applicable.

Linda Hodges, speaking on behalf of her grandson who attends on a variance, asked whether families receive a confirmation receipt when they submit open-enrollment forms online and whether variance students would be deprioritized. A staff member said the online process should produce a submission confirmation and invited families to call the central office's assistant superintendent's office to verify submissions; staff said variance applicants are not treated differently under the first-come, first-served rule.

After public comment, a board member moved to adjourn the public hearing; the chair called the voice vote and the motion passed. The board then proceeded to the budget meeting.

Why it matters: The district is considering rules that would limit inter-district departures and is weighing how to reconcile program and facility decisions with concerns about proficiency and enrollment. Parents at the hearing asked for concrete, near-term actions and clearer communication about how variances and open enrollment will operate.

What happens next: The draft policy limiting exits to 25 students was on the agenda for the night's board vote; staff and the board noted that the fiscal impact of any student departures would need to be absorbed in the operating budget.