NASHUA – The Board of Education recently voted 6-2 to approve the district’s operating budget of $137.2 million for fiscal year 2026 which will now be sent to the Board of Alderman.

This figure represents a 4.7 percent increase over the prior fiscal year.

Before the meeting, 40 positions were in danger of being cut. However, the board was able to avoid that loss by putting $6.1 million back into the budget.

Prior to the April 2 vote, parents and teachers implored board members not to be bound by the three percent increase which Mayor James Donchess stated in his Feb. 12 letter to the city’s department heads. Rather, they said the mayor and the aldermen need to know how much money is truly needed for the district to function properly.

“Our school is in crisis,” said Amanda Mcguire, a teacher at Pennichuck Middle School, adding that some classes have up to 60 students. “Teacher burnout is at an all-time high.”

She said one of her colleagues was recently assaulted by a student while another colleague needed shoulder surgery after breaking up a fist fight.

Mcguire also reminded the board that hall monitors were promised for Pennichuck; however, that promise has yet to be fulfilled.

“Students are not learning respect and responsibility,” she said. “Our focus has shifted from education to behavioral management.”

David Scalera of Paddington Place said transportation is the district’s greatest obstacle with the cost of the First Student bus company increasing by 20 percent.

“The city should own the transportation line item,” he said, adding that the city has the power to negotiate a better contract.

Gary Hoffman, president of the Nashua Teachers Union, said he sent a petition to the board with more than 400 signatures asking for a budget increase of at least four percent to preserve the positions that were at risk.

“Without us, the district doesn’t work,” he said. “As the Board of Education, it’s your job to do this oversight, pass the budget we need.”

Anne Altman, a fifth grade teacher at Dr. Crisp Elementary School, said her patience with the district is “running thin.”

“I am a burnt out teacher,” she said. “Challenging student behaviors are trending upwards, I’m looking for an exit ramp.”

Altman also said her salary does not cover basic living expenses and she has been forced to work part-time jobs in addition to teaching full-time.