mobanmarketCONCORD, NH — Members of Concord’s board of education will host a special meeting on Thursday to discuss goals and whether to discuss two ballot questions that aim to change the district’s charter in the controlled setting of a public hearing.
The meeting is booked for 6 p.m. on Aug. 29 in the central office boardroom on Liberty Street.
Limited information is available about the meeting, which appears to have been added recently to the district calendar. The meeting was not listed in the proposed calendar of meetings, Agenda Item No. 13, in the SAU 8 Aug. 5 board packet posted online and sent to the media. The item was approved on July 1.
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The board meets annually at a retreat and has goal meetings, sometimes at the beginning of the school year (classes start on Wednesday).
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The second item involves two proposed changes to the SAU 8 charter, which appear to be heading for the November ballot.
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Opponents of a plan to build a new middle school in East Concord near the Broken Ground Elementary School and Mill Brook Primary School gathered more than 1,500 signatures toward ballot access. The first ballot question would add a “mandatory voter approval for school relocation” provision to the charter. The second proposal would require “voter oversight on property transactions” of more than an acre.
Patrick Taylor, the district clerk, said last week only 965 confirmed signatures from registered voters were needed to gain ballot access. The number was based on 15 percent of the ballots cast during the previous district election, in November 2023, when 6,435 voters cast ballots.
According to Terry Wolf, the district’s public information officer, SAU 8 spent $11,833 in legal fees on right-to-know requests and petitions through June 30. She said billings for July and August have yet to be processed.
Organizers are also collecting signatures for an “appeal petition,” requesting a revote of the location of the new middle school, which was approved by a 6-3 vote in December 2023.
For that effort, about 2,500 valid signatures are needed later this year.
Concord Concerned Citizens are requesting opponents of the middle school and supporters of the petition to attend the meeting.
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The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce is hosting a “State of the City’s Schools 2024” forum from 7:30 to 9 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26, at the Holiday Inn at 172 N. Main St. in Concord.
School Superintendent Kathleen Murphy, Jack Dunn, the district’s business manager, and Pamela Walsh, the school board’s president, will attend. In addition to the middle school project, other topics will include enhanced mathematics, budget, and other information, and Rising Tide Pathways, a Concord High School career sector program.
Tickets for the breakfast event are $25 for members and $35 for the general public and can be purchased here.
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