School Committee voices frustration over Aldermen-approved school budget

MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Manchester School District’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget figure has been approved. Now comes the hard part.

During Monday’s Manchester Board of School Committee (BOSC) meeting, there was significant discussion about the fallout from the decision at last week’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BMA) meeting, where the amount of $237,999,925 was approved to serve as the bottom line for the school district’s upcoming fiscal year budget.

Under the city charter, the BMA is only authorized to approve a bottom-line figure after taking into account recommendations by the BOSC and the mayor. While the mayor’s proposed budget is required to be under the city’s tax cap, the budget recommended by the BOSC also came in within the tax cap and was approximately $9.5 million more than the mayor’s $236.4 million initial figure. During the budget process, Manchester School District Superintendent Dr. Jenn Chmiel said several reductions would need to be made if the mayor’s budget figure was ultimately approved as the final figure, avoiding the term “cuts” by seeking programs mostly that were in the process of being added or staff positions that could no longer be filled after its current holders retired.

Chmiel made it clear that this approach was not a recommendation or within the best interest of Manchester’s public schools, but would be the most likely path forward in that scenario.

With some aldermen questioning the validity of accounting coming out of the Manchester School District, several aldermen advocated for a lower amount than the mayor’s initial recommendation while many supporters of the BOSC’s recommended budget urged aldermen to approve that amount or see a massive degradation of progress within the school district.

Ruais attempted to bridge the gap between the two camps, helping pass a figure of $237,999,925 or $1.5 million more than what was initially proposed. On Monday night, Chmiel was able to present a list of likely reductions that was smaller than the initial list, removing reductions to transportation and middle school athletics. Additionally, the amount of school-based positions that would likely have to be reduced went down from 38 to 22. Chmiel told the board that following discussion with school principals, these positions would likely be focused on middle schools to preserve small class sizes in elementary schools.

However, some specialized elective classes meant to have lower than average class sizes at the high school level may either be dropped or merged with comparable subjects. Chmiel said that there are approximately 66 positions that are either currently vacant or expected to become vacant in the near future.

Expendable trust funds, also known as “rainy day funds” were also put into the equation. The initial proposed school budget put forward to aldermen already used approximately $4.5 million in rainy day funds and Chmiel proposed the usage of an additional $3.8 million in rainy day funds with the figure finalized by aldermen last week. Ward 4 school board member Leslie Want noted if the expendable trust got too low, it would damage the district’s bond rating, requiring higher interest rates on bonds whenever the district seeks capital expenditures in the future.

Despite Chmiel’s avoidance of the word “cuts,” several BOSC members referred to these new budget realities as cuts, stating that between this year and last year, the district is getting $17 million less than it has requested as costs for things outside the district’s control such as inflation, healthcare costs and unexpected special needs students moving into the district that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, among other things. Without that $17 million, school board members noted current and potential future services to Manchester’s public school students would need to be curtailed, with Schol Board Vice Chair Jim O’Connell going as far to say that two of Manchester’s four public high schools may need to be closed.

School board members expressed a variety of frustrations over the current situation, particularly targeted at the mayor and his role as the board’s chair. There was a feeling that the mayor should have done more to advocate for the school board’s position given that he was its chair rather than seeking to take in all viewpoints into a composite perspective.

Ruais took umbrage with comments from Ward 7 BOSC Member Chris Potter. Potter said that Ruais vetoed a budget proposal that would have brought forward $2 million more than the mayor’s initial proposal rather than the $1.5 million more ultimately agreed upon. Ruais corrected Potter that he voted “no” on the $2 million in a tiebreaker rather than casting a veto, with Potter stating that the impact was the same, adding that his decision was tantamount to be opposed to the schools.

“It was down to just you; you gave us a cut relative to inflation. As the chair of this committee, you haven’t come to this committee with a single priority, a single idea, a single question, for over a year and a half. But then you go to the Aldermen and reduce our staff,” said Potter. “I don’t know how you can honestly tell me you value our children when you’re working against them.”

Ruais was also questioned regarding why more time was not taken before coming to a final decision, with Ruais stating Chmiel’s request to provide a number as soon as possible, which in turn would provide stability as the district hires replacements in retained positions for the next school year.

Ward 9 school board member Bob Baines noted that process is more important, sometimes, than speed. He had suggested previously the desire for a joint meeting of the boards to air out some of the budget complexities. Ruais told him he felt that was not feasible given the interest in expediency.

Other members of the board expressed frustration with the board of aldermen, particularly those who were either unwilling or unable to learn more about the school district’s requests and challenges before the vote or accusing the school district of impropriety in their budget process.

“We are often lectured about watching what we said. I do not hear that concern at BMA meetings,” said Ward 8 school board member Jess Spillers to Ruais. “I understand that they have their rules, but the difference is very clear. We need a leader. I had some hope for you and now I don’t.”

More details on the reductions or cuts depending on the viewpoint, were requested from members of the school board and a special meeting to provide additional discussion on that topic is expected sometime in the near future.

As the BOSC was told that there was no mechanism to force aldermen to reconsider their decision, the school board voted to accept the amount on a unanimous voice vote.

The Manchester Education Association, the district’s teachers’ union, released the following statement below

Statement from MEA about 2025-26 BudgetDownload