BMA/BOSC reactions to Tuesday’s “Beech Street pause” decision

Following Tuesday’s 8-6 decision by the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen to request a pause on construction of the new Beech Street Elementary School, Manchester Ink Link e-mailed each member of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and the Manchester Board of School Committee at the e-mails listed on the city and school district websites.

Here’s are the responses we’ve received as of Friday night. If more responses arise, we will add them as they become available.

If you have thoughts on Tuesday’s decision, click here to fill out our form – we will publish those answers next week.

Board of Mayor and Aldermen

Daniel Goonan – Ward 2

“Phase 1 was already approved, bonded, and will not impact residents tax rate. I certainly did my homework before I took office. I had no confusion about phase 1, or 2 which may be decades away, and the reasons the School Board made their decision. I didn’t expect a choreographed disinformation effort to confuse taxpayers. What was really sad seeing the Mayor so surprised by this effort from people that he depends upon. The Mayor did know that much of the information presented was incorrect and should take a firm stand to support our schools.”

Ross Terrio – Ward 7

“I don’t think that the process for dealing with school construction as required by state law has been followed up to this point. To summarize, the city owns the school buildings and all decisions, including planning, oversight, and expenditure of funds for construction of school buildings must go through the joint committee on school buildings.(I have included the RSA with the pertinent parts highlighted below)

Also, there is some confusion among the public on what the BMA voted on. Just to clarify we did NOT stop any rehab/additon work on any school building. We asked for a pause on any work to tear down any school buildings or build any new schools from the ground up. The school board believes that we don’t have enough classroom space. To put this into perspective, our district once had over 17,000 students and now is reported to have less than 12,000 students. We have lost about 1/3 of our students from the peak population.As you know, the Manchester school district test scores have gone down in recent years. The school board and administration believe that building a new school will help fix this problem. The state is giving us an extra $35 million per year that is being used to fund the bond. I would rather see that money being used on the instructional side to improve student outcomes and test scores. My biggest fear is that the state changes the formula or ends this program and then we have to fund the bonds ourselves without state money.The bond costs and interest are staggering. The district asked for $306 million, with interest that amount is reported to grow to over $500 million, and that is only for phase 1! There is a phase 2 that the district hasn’t released yet that is rumored to require another bond that is reported to be around $330 million plus. I think it is reasonable to believe that the cost of both phases with interest will be in the neighborhood of $1 billion plus. Again, the State could change or end the revenue source that our schools are receiving that affects us in a negative way. If that happens it would be catastrophic to both Manchester schools and the City as a whole.”

Current through 2023 Legislative Session
Section 199:3 – Construction in Cities; Joint Building Committees

No schoolhouse shall be erected, altered, remodeled or changed in any city school district unless the plans have been previously submitted to the school board of that district and received its approval

All construction relating to schoolhouses in any city school district shall be done under the direction of a joint building committee which shall be established and chosen in equal numbers by the city council and the school board

The joint building committee shall have the following duties:(a) Oversee and decide all matters relating to any construction on schoolhouse buildings

Prepare and submit monthly status reports relating to construction progress to the city council and the school board.

All funds appropriated by the city council for construction of a new schoolhouse shall be administered by the appropriate joint building committee, and those funds shall be disbursed upon authorization of the committee until final acceptance of the schoolhouse by the city council.

Section 199:4 Transfer of Building.
Upon final completion of the new schoolhouse, as determined by the joint building committee, the committee shall vote to accept the building and transfer it to the care and control of the school board II. Whenever a schoolhouse shall no longer be needed for public school purposes the school board shall transfer its care and control to the city.

James Burkush – Ward 9

“In the Spring of 2023, Dr Gillis invited members of the BMA to visit our schools. As I walked through Bakersville, we discussed her vision to improve educational opportunities for all students. The long-range facilities plan was discussed as an important part.The results of Phase 1 were released in August and published on the School District’s website. Included is the assessment of each building for educational instruction and building condition. Alderman Goonan and I met with DPW Director Clougherty and discussed the condition of the schools, and how a project of this size would be administered. He confirmed the condition of the Wilson School and his recommendations going forward; including working closely with the School District during construction.  When the proposal for bonding was brought forward in the fall, I had immediate concerns about the funding and the impact on taxpayers. Other members of the BMA were also concerned. School Administration stated State Aid would cover the Bond Payments and there would be no impact on the Taxpayers. We confirmed this with our Finance Director. Dr Gillis contacted Alderman asking if we had questions or concerns. We had a public presentation to the Board. Information was also provided in our agenda. Phase 1 was clearly presented, we understood Phase 2 was years away. Phase 1 is supported by the Chamber of Commerce, Manchester Proud and others as important to the future of our City. The Schools asked for approval in December to be able to purchase portable classrooms and close Wilson this year.I was not informed this would be discussed at the 1/16/2024 BMA. There was inaccurate conversations about educational content and the lack of transparency. I had ample opportunity to research the project, ask questions and receive answers. All information is readily available and the proposal was posted on the agendas. I agree, new Board members should have a presentation and be able to ask questions. This may help clear up the misinformation.”

Dan O’Neil  At-Large

“I was surprised by it. The unfortunate thing is that it ends up being a waste of time since we have no legal standing to tell them how to spend money that has already been legally approved. The bonds passed, the money is theirs; in my opinion, the solicitor was very clear on that. So, we can’t direct them how to spend or direct them to do anything. To direct them to come in, we can ask them to come in to present to the board, but we can’t demand them to come in. The whole discussion was a waste because the motion has no standing.”

Board of School Committee/Manchester School District

Julie Turner – Ward 1

“My reaction to the BMA meeting on Tuesday is that I am disappointed.   The strategy to bring it up during new business was not in good faith.  It was no coincidence that two aldermen had a motion ready at the waiting during new business instead of as an item on the public agenda.  That lack of transparency is planting seeds of mistrust.   As our new mayor stated during the inauguration, “Manchester’s future is not divided into ‘our’ and ‘theirs’ – it is one future.  We share it together … “.   My desire is that the BMA and BoSC work together, collegially and cooperatively to solve problems and improve Manchester’s future.I am also surprised to find that some members of the BMA, both newly elected and re-elected, have not done their homework.  It is alarming to me to hear claims that the plans from SMMA have not been shared or explained.  The onus is on the BMA to familiarize themselves with previous presentations and to talk to their counterparts on the BoSC or reach out to Dr. Gillis with questions. Anyone who has not done so, in my opinion, is not doing their due diligence.   The Long Term Facilities presentation from SMMA can be easily found in the BoSC Agenda from November 16th, 2023.  In that agenda, Phase 1 and 2 are explained, in detail, with timelines, draft proposals, and cost estimates.  Specifically, on pages 13 & 14 one can find the approach to our high schools.  On page 18 there are high school options.  On pages 21 & 22 there is Proposal 1 to show a new high school built around JFK ice rink.  On pages 23 & 24 there is Proposal 2 which shows a plan to demolish JFK and build a new ice rink incorporated into the new high school build.  Pages 26 & 27 show the Phase 1 timeline followed by the phase 2 timeline on 28.  That BoSC agenda can be found here:

https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/3235/MSD/3715921/2023-11-13_BOSC_Agenda.pdfThe mere suggestion that any of this was kept in secrecy or done in darkness is hogwash.The video of that BoSC meeting can be found here:https://vimeo.com/884862430I hope that Mayor Ruais can keep the momentum from his message on inauguration day that “Time’s a wastin’, and I’m on the clock.  It’s time to get to work”  because a pause of the meaningful Long Term Facilities work that has been progressing since February of 2023 when SMMA was selected as our vendor is time wasted for our deserving families and students.  The deferred maintenance on our school buildings over decades has created our outdated facilities problem and has left our students decades behind our surrounding towns in terms of updated, 21st-century learning environments.  Investing in our facilities is long overdue and will improve our students’ health, attendance, achievement and behavior.   For anyone who needs more information on how high-quality school buildings translate to better academic outcomes also needs to do their research.  One of many studies can be found here: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED604388.pdf.I have been re-elected to do the work of the people who rely on me to use my voice on their behalf.  I have had an overwhelmingly positive response to the plan to rebuild many of our schools that are at the end of their usable life.  There is and has been a hunger to move beyond freshening up paint on crumbling walls, putting new treads on crumbling stairs, and patching holes in leaking roofs. I am happy to help organize visits to any of the schools that BMA members (newly elected or re-elected) would like to visit to see firsthand their current condition. It is time to give our students and families school buildings they can be proud of and deserve.”

Karen Soule – Ward 3

“I am disappointed in the misperceptions that are in the community. It is very important that everyone has accurate information which is available on the school district website and if people have questions please reach out to administration and/or your School Board representatives. Please remember that the future of Manchester is our students and each and every one of them deserves to to be prepared to be productive, caring members of our community. This begins with investing in safe up-to-date  facilities that reflect our current educational needs.”

Leslie Want – Ward 4

“It is unfortunate that at a time when the Board of School Committee is looking for ways to serve our children and their families better while not asking for one additional penny of taxpayer money, that some BMA members have chosen to disregard all the information that has been shared to date on Phase I of our Facilities Plan and create a false narrative that district has not been completely open and transparent. The fact that this motion on Tuesday evening was made under New Business would not even be allowed on the School Board per our Board Rule 2:11 paragraph 5.

Our board feels it is important that the public has a right to be informed when a vote is going to take place. It seems very disingenuous to say the District was not being transparent and then to bring this up without posting it on an agenda and vote on it during New Business at the end of a meeting.I would like to express my gratitude to BMA members Pat Long, Christine Fajardo and Bill Barry for speaking the truth about the district’s earnest efforts to share all of the Long Term Facilities Planning with BMA members and the whole community and my appreciation for Aldermen Goonan, Burkush and O’Neil for their support as well. It is heartening to know there are still quite a few aldermen who value our public schools and the children and families who depend on them.”

Jason Bonilla – Ward 5

“We celebrate leaders in history who paved the path to stand up to bullies, to stand up for their community, to stand up for what is just. What unfolded on Tuesday night was a clear example, a depiction of leaders flexing their seats, and intentionally creating false narratives to further divide us as a city government and to reiterate who’s “in charge” now. We are supposed to do this together, because when these decisions and work are not done collaboratively, we quickly lose sight of what is important – our community.

I was chosen by my community (Resilient & Beautiful Ward 5) to represent them on the Board of School Committee, so that we have a voice. I will not tolerate this game show, and continue to watch uneducated motions. Being an elected official is more than just attending city meetings. It is about being proximate to our people. We must refrain from spreading lies on our social media accounts and other platforms, but share facts and resources. I give it my all for the students of Manchester, they deserve more than just an “adequate” education, they deserve and exceptional one, what happened at the BMA meeting on Tuesday only instilled fear and uncertainty within our school staff, students and their families.

We teach to our kids to be advocates, and I will do what we preach, by not letting fear get in my way of making sure our families and children get everything they need to be the next leaders of this city. We need innovation, new ideas, new perspectives, and that is the greatest gift I can give … knowledge, because in the end that is our liberation.

I believe in our city, in the Board of Mayor and Alderman and the Board of School Committee. We all got elected, and I know we all have expertise, drive, and commitment that is needed to build a better Manchester for all.”

Chris Potter – Ward 7

“The facilities plan is designed to improve student performance. Reducing class sizes is a key factor in student performance, and we made excellent progress last term. We cannot bring down class sizes much further because there are not enough rooms at several schools. Renovating and expanding the middle schools lets us bring down class sizes to improve student performance.”

Jessica Spillers – Ward 8

“While I wasn’t a part of the original planning, I have seen and familiarized myself with the Long Term Facilities Plan. It is a shame that the BMA would try to pause this at such a critical time. It’s a disservice to Manchester, to our students, and to our educators. This plan has been well thought out and allows for relief in crowded schools and builds new schools to replace those that are already crumbling. For Ward 8, it (primarily) meant moving fifth graders to middle schools–providing relief to our elementary schools. Providing a building to teach in is one of the most basic needs we can meet for an educator/student, we have delayed for far too long in significantly updating our facilities. I hope that voters in the city recognize this tactic for what it is and understand that even if their student doesn’t attend a school that would be closed or even if they aren’t in the catchment area for Beech St. Elementary, that this pause would impact them in other ways. At the MBOSC, we care about our community and will continue to do all we can to lift up education in Manchester. It is what we have been elected to do.”

Bob Baines – Ward 9

“Both Boards will serve our community better when we work together with mutual respect. We have so much to do to address the needs of our students and teachers by creating a 21st-century learning environment in all our schools. The Phase One plan is a big step forward. Superintendent Gillis is an outstanding leader and has earned the support and respect of all our elected officials.”

Elizabeth O’Neil – Ward 11

“I think that the School District administration must continue with Phase One as planned. I applaud their consistent dedication to our families and students and look forward to continuing this good work. This decision was already approved by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen in December. I encourage the BMA to engage in this work when invited in the future.”

Jim O’Connell  At-Large

“I think that the resolution that was passed was regrettable and counterproductive. I was saddened that the Board of Mayor and Aldermen felt the need to go down that path. No effort was made to contact me as the Vice Chair or other board members or members of the administration in advance of that surprise motion. That motion doesn’t lend itself to collegiality or productive governance.

I am really concerned about the inaccurate portrayal of the Manchester School District and the long-term plan for our schools. It was a fact-free environment and many things that were said were extremely inaccurate. If a transcript were made of that meeting, there would be more red ink than black because there were so many things that were not true, half-true, etc.

There’s a need for the Board of Mayor and Aldermen to be brought up to speed, and be given a fuller understanding of what the plan involves.

I mark that down to the fact that it was the first meeting of a new board and some members didn’t understand that there is a division of responsibilities and the Board of School Committee is responsible for the operation of schools in Manchester and that not only comes from the charter but also state statute.

We’re going to have to visit that topic so we can work productively together and we will work on that over the next few weeks.

The idea of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen issuing an edict to the Board of School Committee, not asking but rather demanding, first is not enforceable and my understanding was that was what was produced by legal counsel, and yet they still produced it.

This will be a topic of discussion at the next Board of School Committee meeting on Monday night and I will be advising my fellow board members to not conform to it. I do not support any pause to Phase One and given the rhetoric that has been heaped on our superintendent and by a minority of that board, I don’t support our superintendent going before that board in the matter that is requested.

Lastly, the city of Manchester needs and deserves good governance. I expect after this hiccup, we will find paths forward that will deliver great education to the People of Manchester not just from the Board of School Committee but also the Board of Mayor of Aldermen.”