City councilors vote to allocate $6.5 million in state aid to schools

Oct. 31 — Manchester councilors approved a request to allocate more than $6.5 million in state aid to the adequacy of the city’s schools.

Manchester school officials said they hope to use the money during the current school year.

Councilors set Nov. 19 for a public hearing on the matter, but moved the date to Oct. 30 at the request of school officials.

In a memo to aldermen, Superintendent of Schools Jennifer Chmiel said she requested the date be moved “at the urging of the city tax collector so that the city can set the tax rate earlier than Nov. 20.”

According to Chmiel, as part of the routine state funding Manchester receives, the school district is receiving an estimated matching grant amount from the state Department of Education (NH DOE) until Nov. 15 to use during the process budgetary.

The sum must be updated with year-end enrollment numbers by September 1, long after Manchester schools finalize their budget (usually in the spring, with a final council vote in late May or early June).

School officials had hoped a public hearing could be held on Tuesday, Nov. 5, but the Board of Mayor and Aldermen will not meet that day because of the general election.

According to Chmiel, on November 15, 2023, the district was officially notified by the NH DOE of the FY 2025 budget process matching aid estimate of $90,006,266.

On Aug. 27, the district was notified by the state that the number would be increased to $96,523,581, resulting in the request for an additional $6,517,315.

Only one person offered comment during a public hearing Wednesday on the funding request — former school board member and mayoral candidate Rich Girard, who accused previous boards of not saying anything when school officials presented contracts with $12 million in salary increases “in the first year alone.”

“People were sitting here in silence,” Girard said. “The previous board pushed it and none of the elected officials said anything.”

Girard went on to say he believes if the $6.5 million was not allocated to the school, it could reduce the city’s tax rate by 52 cents per $1,000.

“That would cut the tax increase that this council voted for — that you mayor supported despite all the promises to the contrary made to the voters of this city — that would drop that tax rate by 81 percent,” Girard said. “You have a $9 million hole in the school budget because you allowed it to use surplus and trust fund income as revenue. the next budget.

“Taxpayers deserve a break, especially from the politicians who promised to give them one. Please don’t appropriate this money.”

Councilman Pat Long said he had “no problem” with the raises teachers received, calling them “deserved.”

Councilman Tony Sapienza disputed Girard’s comments about the previous council “pushing” raises.

“I voted to approve things, and I, for one, am proud of my votes,” Tony Sapienza said. “So if you want to call it ‘pushing it’, have a nice day.”

His brother, Councilman Ed Sapienza, wanted to return the $6.5 million to taxpayers, saying he thought it “deserved a break.”

“Really, they’re suffering from this inflation along with everyone else,” Ed Sapienza said.

In the end, aldermen voted 7-3 to approve the allocation of the money, with Ed Sapienza, Joe Kelly Levasseur and Crissy Kantor opposed.

Absent from the special meeting were councilors Chris Morgan, Ross Terrio, Kelly Thomas and Norman Vincent.