Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mario Andrade fielded questions from the Budget Review Committee regarding the School Department's $182.2 million budget proposal for fiscal year 2025. Courtesy photo/Nashua ETV

NASHUA – The Budget Review Committee voted unanimously during its May 21 meeting to postpone a final decision regarding the Nashua Schools District’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2025.

The proposed operating budget for the new fiscal year is $131 million, a 4.49 increase over last year. The city is also adding $51.3 million to cover employee benefits, pensions and costs associated with the Federal Insurance Contributions Act. This addition brings the budget up to $182.2 million for a total increase of 4.93 percent.

During the meeting, Chief Operating Officer Daniel Donovan said the district is eliminating seven elementary teaching positions and 12 middle school teaching positions. However, he said many of those teachers will be filling vacant positions created by retirements and resignations.

Elsewhere in the district, another 14 positions, including five teaching positions, are also being eliminated. Those positions had been covered by the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. However, those funds are now exhausted.

Ward 8 Alderman Derek Thibeault expressed his opposition to this year’s budget proposal as it exceeds the four percent limit put in place by Mayor James Donchess. He also said the budget figure should not continue to climb, particularly with a student population below 10,000.

“I’ll tell you, I’m glad my kids are almost done with school, I expect more from this school system,” said Thibeault.

Resident Paula Johnson also spoke out against the budget.

“I’m really outraged by this budget, it is really high,” she said. “I’m blaming it on the Joint Special School Building Committee, they should’ve looked at the numbers and they should’ve scaled it to where we are right now.”

Johnson also said the new McCarthy Middle School will not be filled to capacity when it opens in the fall.

“The problem is we have a declining population in our school district,” she said. “Parents have choices now for schools other than public schools.”

In response, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mario Andrade said the district is planning to invest $300,000 to bolster the curriculum and professional development.

“Over the years, we didn’t have a system in place with the right resources and kids were not challenged,” he said. “Therefore, they went to other schools.”

Andrade also spoke about the challenges that lay ahead in the coming months.

Although $1.5 million is earmarked for special education, that figure may not be sufficient with a growing number of students on Individualized Education Programs.

“That number can increase, it’s a gamble,” he said.

Another challenge is having ample funding for the district’s English Language Learner staff.

“We’re barely getting by, meeting the minimum requirements for our ELL teachers,” said Andrade.

Regarding class sizes for the 2024-2025 school year, Andrade said he is projecting an average of 18.4 students per class on the elementary school level and an average of 22.8 students per class on the middle school level.

“We want to be really cognizant of class size,” he said.

Board of Education President Jennifer Bishop said the district may have to use some creativity in terms of how different parts of the budget are funded.

“Let’s not be too taxing on what we’re asking the city, let’s be resourceful,” she said. “I would like to see some of those ESSR positions come back in. The social-emotional learning piece is pretty important.”

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