School budget controversy proceeds deliberative session in Hudson

Jan. 31--HUDSON -- As school and town officials prepare for Saturday's deliberative school budget session, many in town are sounding off about the school's budget proposal and some residents are even proposing drastic cuts.

Three Facebook groups, Parents of Hudson NH Students, SOS -- Save Our Hudson Schools, and SAU81 BUDGET have sprung up in recent months and given town residents a forum to debate the merits of passing or rejecting the school's proposed budget.

Peggy Dunn Huard has warned she plans to make motions at Saturday's deliberation session to reduce the school budget.

Huard offered a glimpse of her planned proposal to Facebook users and wrote she'd motion to cut $50,000 to $75,000 from the co- curricular budget by slashing a line item for salaries, benefits and game officials.

When contacted Thursday, Huard said she wants to further cut from the district's maintenance budget and takes issue with the proposed purchase of classroom vanities, like stair treads and two air conditioners.

Huard also said she wants to cut $300,000 from staff salaries in the district. She's one of many who's angered by the proposed increases to the school budget this year.

But others have quickly come to the defense of the schools and their teachers.

The Hudson School District's proposed general fund budget for the next fiscal year is $45,037,975, representing an increase of more than a million dollars, about 2.5 percent more than the district's existing general fund budget.

Last year, the school's general fund budget was $43,869,275.

Hudson's per pupil costs are $9,884 and are less than other similarly-sided nearby communities like Londonderry, Merrimack, Derry and Goffstown.

Huard said she did not want Hudson to be compared to other towns "committing waste, fraud and abuse."

"It's truly sad to know that I live in a town where people would rather be ignorant and pretend they don't know what's going on, than to actually care about our school system," one woman posted on the Save Our Schools Facebook page. "As a person who is going to college to become a teacher I am extremely disappointed in the Hudson community for not caring more about teachers. Without the amazing teachers and the amazing extra curricular activities a lot of kids and teens would be lost."

Other posters on the "Save Our Schools" page have been urging anyone who supports the schools to show up at the deliberative session on Saturday to counteract any proposed reductions by people like Huard.

Show up Saturday, "to prevent people with no experience or knowledge in the area of education from making very important decisions for our town and children," one man wrote. "People with experience and knowledge in the area of education should advocate for what is needed."

So far 482 people have "liked" page that is moderated by Hudson parent Stacy Milbouer, a former Telegraph employee.

Bryan Lane, the Superintendent of Hudson School District, said the town's students would be "directly affected" if the budget for paying sporting officials was cut.

"As far as game officials are concerned, those fees are set by the NHIAA and we either pay the fees or we can't participate in the games," Lane said.

Lane responded to accusations that the district is overspending by transporting high-school students and kindergartners to school.

"There are federal regulations around transportation which designate what radius from the school a student must be transported," Lane said.

Federal law currently mandates that all children between grades one and eight be afforded bussing to school.

"You also need to take into consideration the traffic," Lane said. "We would be looking at safety issues above all."

Lane said Hudson's school board has previously considered charging families for student transportation, like Litchfield does, but said it has not been implemented.

Lane said he doesn't believe the district is overspending in any category of its budget.

However, since 2007, enrollment in Hudson schools has consistently dropped but been meet with rising budgets every year since, except in 2010.

Saturday, beginning at 9 am in the Hudson Community Center, Hudson voters will attend the deliberative session for Hudson's proposed school budget. At the session, residents will be able to make amendments to the proposed budget before the town heads to the polls in March.

"If you take a look at the budget as a whole and take out the increases in health insurance, which were mandated by contract, and the increases in special education costs, which we're required by law to do, the budget is level funded," Lane said.

Lane said that if the proposed budget for 2014-15 is not passed, special education costs would still be incurred and the district would need to cut somewhere else to make up the difference."Everything would be on the table," Lane answered when asked if firing teachers would be an option.

Lane said passing a default budget, for the second year in a row, would present "a large number of difficulties" for the Hudson School District.

"I believe it is our moral obligation to provide an appropriate education for the students in our communities," Lane said. "It was done for me, it was done for my children."

Bradford Randall can be reached at 594-6557 or brandall@nashua telegraph.com. Also, follow Randall on Twitter (@telegraph_bradr).

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